Stephen Fry 'thinks about death all the time' and has 'absolute zero self-esteem'

The author, presenter and actor suffers from bipolar disorder

Stephen Fry says that the idea of death is never far from his mind.

The author, presenter and actor – who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 37 - has attempted to take his own life on numerous occasions.

“You think about death all the time even when you are not feeling suicidal,” he said. “You are constantly aware of death, your own death and how welcome it would be.

“When you feel you can’t go on, it’s not just a phrase. It’s absolutely real. It won’t leave you it’s always there niggling away.”

Fry says he still suffers from serious self-esteem issues.

“Oh, [my self-esteem] is absolute zero because I’m a complete w****r, and an a***hole,” he told Australian Yahoo. “You almost have a Tourette's view of yourself.”

He is known for his ardent campaigning in raising awareness and changing wrong perceptions of mental health issues, becoming president of charity Mind in 2011.

He has recently released his third memoir, entitled More Fool Me, in which he discusses his battle with cocaine, which he used as a way of coping with certain social situations.

“I have never hated anybody or anything or any place as much as I hate parties,” he said.

“I discovered the only way to survive them was to disappear into the men's room, come back with a 'refresher' in my nose and then I could just talk and talk and talk, and smile and smile and smile, and laugh and laugh and laugh.”