Tony on a mission to beat loneliness

TONY Bellew has made it his mission to help older men fight loneliness.

- ARCHIE GRIGGS

The former boxing champ and I'm A Celeb star wants to improve their mental health and tackle potentially harmful relationships with alcohol.

He was inspired to join the Men On A Mission campaign, in conjunction with DRINKIQ and loneliness charity UK Men's Sheds Association, after he struggled to come to terms with his retirement from boxing in 2018.

The 42-year-old said: "You wake up one day and you are no longer doing what you have been doing for 25 years.

"I've been punching people in the face for 25 years, getting punched in the face all of a sudden you wake up and you're not any more.

"It's a lot to come to terms with. It is difficult, but you learn to cope."

He knows his experience is far from unique, even among those who aren't professional sportsmen.

"Sometimes the sense of mission can dwindle as we get older," he says. "Your kids grow up, your work winds down. And time spent idle might end up being more time on the couch or at the pub. That's fine once or twice a week but the more we do it, the more it adds up.