I was an elite sportsman but retirement left me on brink of suicide

A JUDO champion has told how a text message saved him from suicide. David Millar, 40, had hit rock bottom and plunged into despair after retiring from a medal-laden career with Great Britain’s team. Advertisement 2 David Millar with his dad Gordon 2 David now runs Mantra Menswork Six months into fatherhood, the ex-elite athlete, from the Highlands, had meticulously planned how and when he was going to take his own life.

But a day before his planned suicide , he was sent a text inviting him to a breathwork class. It took dad-of-four David years of self-work on his recovery before retraining and transferring his sports coaching expertise into launching his business Mantra Menswork where he has worked with more than 1,000 men facing mental health struggles. He said: “I was 24 hours away from taking my own life.

I’d already chosen how and when. At that point in my life, I hit rock bottom. Advertisement read more sport stories MAKE IT COUNT Rangers stars have 5 games to fight for their futures at Ibrox says Tavernier SEMI BONUS St Johnstone vs Celtic: Get up to £40 in free football bets with talkSPORT BET “I was burnt out.

My marriage was suffering. My mental health was in free-fall. I felt worthless, depressed, completely unequipped to be a dad.

“I was confused and broken . “I was in therapy and counselling, but nothing was working. If anything, it was compounding the isolation.

” The breathwork class that saved him came completely out of the blue . Advertisement Most read in Sport EUR NICKED Police reveal number of Bilbao vs Rangers arrests as fans clash and battle cops CASHING IN Rangers and Celtic Uefa prize money revealed as Gers miss £3.5m semi-final bonus SORT IT SOON Ferguson reveals job he wants to take if Rangers DON'T appoint him manager GIO QUIZZED Van Bronckhorst delivers emphatic response on Rangers return under new owners He commented: “Without competition , I lost my purpose.

“Like most men, I didn’t realise I couldn’t catch my breath or make sense of anything – I was choking and drowning all at once. I won silver at London 2012 Olympics and went viral for what I did after..

. now I'm making my own way as a PE teacher “Breathwork didn’t feel like an obvious solution. When I got the text, I thought, ‘whatever, I’ve already made my decision.

’ But I went on a whim.” “It was like I was locked in a jail cell in my head and these breath techniques broke me free. Breathwork gave me hope and a sense of purpose.

It helped me realise things I was feeling and release things that hadn’t been felt for 10+ years. That was just the beginning.” Advertisement That led to Mantra Menswork – a fast-growing programme and community that helps men break free from the mental traps that keep them stuck, isolated, and struggling in silence.

To find out more, visit www.mantramenswork.com Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page.