Top chef Heston Blumenthal says he fears watching TV show could trigger bipolar episode – as he opens up in interview

CELEBRITY chef Heston Blumenthal admitted he refuses to watch a fictional TV show in fear it could trigger a bipolar episode.

The restaurateur and TV star was diagnosed with the condition in November last year after being sectioned by his wife and spending three weeks in hospital.

The 58-year-old, who also has ADHD, credited his wife Melanie for saving his life amid the manic episode that saw him receive the help he needed.

In a sit down interview with Victoria Derbyshire for BBC Newsnight, the couple spoke about Heston’s challenges.

One of which has been watching the hit Hulu TV show The Bear, starring Jeremy Allen White.

Melanie explained: “We haven’t watched The Bear because we think it’s the biggest trigger for Heston’s condition.

“We have tried.”

Heston said: “I’ve watched maybe a clip but I just don’t want to.

“There would be lots of connections between me and that show.

“Particularly because there’s a couple of big chefs that I know, that are friends of mine, that have been involved in the consulting of it, so it must be pretty accurate.

“I’m hoping one day I will be able to watch it, it’s just at the moment it’s too soon.”

The top chef opened up about his mental health in another interview with The Times this month.

Heston said: “I haven’t watched The Bear. It’s on my list. I haven’t watched it because it might trigger a bit of a bipolar thing in me.”

A year on from his diagnosis, the chef said he can see he “ticked every box” when it came to signs and symptoms.

The Fat Duck restaurant owner recalled “manic highs and lows”, and explained it took more than a “few extreme moments” before his wife sought medical help.

He described psychiatric hospital as “a prison”, and was under care for two months in total.

The top chef said previously: “Without a doubt, Melanie saved my life.

“Being sectioned has been a blessing.

“Getting the diagnosis gives me something to try to work on.

“And getting well for Melanie was a massive motivation.”

The couple married seven months earlier in Provence, France.

But Melanie said their world was “falling apart”.

She added: “He was talking non-stop about embracing death.

“What else could I do? Wait for him to kill himself?

“Heston may be a celebrity, a brand, a business but he is, most importantly, a human.

“He is my husband and he is alive.”

Heston described how he started his first restaurant with just a pot washer a friend.

He was only getting 20 hours of sleep a week while working through manic episodes, but didn’t realise it.

“One classic thing with bipolar, when you’re in the manic stage, it’s like vomiting ideas,” he told The Times.

“Everything’s so exciting and fantastic and you don’t want to stop.”

The TV star also praised his ex-wife for running their household as he would be leaving at 5.30am and coming home after midnight most days.

Now Blumenthal runs multiple restaurants, including the three Michelin star Fat Duck, two Michelin star Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Michelin-starred Hind’s Head, and the Perfectionists’ Cafe.