Mai FM's Brook Ruscoe MY BOY SAVED ME!

The radio star and former basketball pro reveals how his son Winter is helping him battle anxiety

- Leena Tailor

Therapy, breathing and exercise are host Brook Ruscoe's top tricks for dealing with his crippling anxiety, which sometimes requires him to take time off air. But the former Tall Blacks player has recently found another secret to busting stress his gorgeous seven-month-old son Winter Owen Karati Ruscoe.

"I can have the worst show, but when I get home to his big smile, there's a huge separation," grins Brook, 31, whose partner Ritia Karati gave birth to their beautiful boy last November. "I can just be a dad, like I always dreamed of. He's the bubbliest kid. He'll wake up at 4am and just lie there smiling!"

While Brook developed anxiety in adulthood, he knows how common it is among young people today. He hopes if Winter ever faces such struggles, he'll feel at ease confiding in him.

In the meantime, he's proud to be supporting the teen mental-health charity Youthline by participating in this Thursday's "Mai 24 Free Throws", where he'll try to sink as many hoops as possible in 24 hours.

He says, "I was blessed to have a childhood without those worries, but there are kids going through this every day and I want to help normalise the most normal thing struggling with mental health."

While Winter is Brook's greatest joy, he admits fatherhood has also heightened his anxiety. He constantly worries about Winter, "calling Ritia every 10 minutes" to check in when they're apart.