“I was never bipolar”: Comedian Paul Foot gets real about depression, sexual assault experience, career, and more

English Comedian Paul Foot sprang into the comedy scene in the early 2000s. He has since hosted various shows and has notably become popular for his comedic take on mental health and other vulnerabilities of life. For an exclusive interview with The Guardian published on July 21, Foot talks about his critically acclaimed 2023 show, Dissolve. According to the news outlet, the show is set to be released in a filmed version in association with the 800 Pound Gorilla Media.

Dissolve is more than a piece of art for Paul and represents his long battle with "28 years" of depression and anxiety. He told The Guardian,

“I was never bipolar. I never had any highs, it was just massive lows. To be technically accurate, I had severe anxiety that led to depression.”

Things changed at "4:59 pm on 20 March, 2022," which is reportedly stamped in his memory. It is when Paul experienced a sudden moment, where his mental health conditions no longer defined him. He explained,

"I’m not an irritable, angry person. That is not my true nature. That is just how I was. I’ve forgiven everything that anyone has ever done to me or will ever do."

Comedian Paul Foot gives a vulnerable peek into his mental health and life experiences

Paul Foot's comedic take pushes one to think about life's experiences from a unique angle. In his conversation with The Guardian, Foot elaborated on the experiences that eventually shaped Dissolve. He disclosed a history of s*xual assault and how its suppression led to the prolonged symptoms of depression and anxiety.

In a candid discussion, Paul Foot revealed his experience with psychopharmacotherapy. He recalled his first visit in 2017 and said,

“I remember thinking, 'Please, please don’t tell me to do meditation!' Because I just knew I needed medication. I needed something to change what was in there."

He explained how therapy helped him process his experiences after the assault and at the same time also "forgive" what had happened. He noted,

“Therapy got me to a point where I had moved forward from where I was. But in a way, I was still struggling with the forgiveness."

However, that was reportedly just the beginning of his healing process, and there were times he spiralled into depression. It was six weeks after he met Aaron Kilkenny-Fletcher that "lines" started flowing through him and Dissolve was born.

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From a state of unwavering sadness, to being joyfully "all the time", Paul Foot has come a long way. A part of it has been choosing happiness and the other has been to bring Dissolve to his audience.

Fans and followers no longer have to wait for shows to witness Paul's comedic feat. Dissolve is now available on 800 Pound Gorilla Media's website, and fans can "pick the price", including, $10, $20, $50, and $100.

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