John Junior

John Junior, also known as The Duckman, is a British mental health activist. They are known for featuring in the documentary series, Hollyoaks: IRL. In November 2019, they created the mental health movement "John and Charlie's Journey" to raise awareness about suicide and mental illness.

Background

Junior was born with short leg syndrome, has a clubfoot and lives with arthritis. They were homeless at the age of 16. Junior lost their dad in 2018.

When Junior was 8 years old they stated that they didn't feel right with their gender, which was assigned at birth (male). When they were 11 years old they wanted a gender reassignment. They were then diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome and put on hormone therapy. At 14 years old they began questioning their gender identity and sexuality. Junior has since began to identify as non-binary.

In 2017, Junior was prescribed sertraline, an anti-depressant, to help with depression and anxiety. During the coronavirus pandemic he came off the anti-depressants due to the 'unbearable' side effects he was experiencing. He replaced the anti-depressants with going to the gym. Junior lives with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). They stated that they have to eat food with a pair of metal tongs, saying, "I can't touch food otherwise I'll die and others around me will die". They stated that OCD gives them anxiety when they try to eat, and that makes them suicidal too.

Activism

In 2019, Junior started vlogging about their experiences of mental health issues on Instagram. In May 2020, Junior tested the Samaritans' self-help app for UNILAD during mental health awareness week. Junior subsequently talked to UNILAD about their mental health struggles to raise awareness for World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2020.

In November 2019, Junior created a mental health movement called "John and Charlie's Journey". Junior and Charlie The Duck, a stuffed toy teddy, encouraged people to talk about mental health. In September 2020, the "DBT for all campaign" was created by Junior to try to make dialectical behaviour therapy more widely available on the NHS throughout the United Kingdom. (This therapy is used to treat children, teenagers and adults who are suicidal, self-harm and have self-destructive behaviours.) The campaign was supported by Esther McVey, Conservative MP for Tatton, who applied for parliamentary debate at Westminster Hall.

In February 2020, Junior and Tanya Bardsley, former members of The Real Housewives of Cheshire, created the wellness hub.

Junior was invited to join Keith Duffy, Boyzone and Brian McFadden, Westlife onstage at their Boyzlife concert in Manchester, to share Junior's mental health campaign.

Junior is campaigning for all police officers in the United Kingdom to be trained in mental health first aid and to have specialist units for mental health.

Hollyoaks

At the start of the first UK lockdown in March 2020, Junior had suicide plans, and a Hollyoaks storyline that involved suicide helped him stop. BBC Radio 5 filmed Junior thanking the people who worked on the storyline and the show.

Channel 4 commissioned Limepictures to produce Hollyoaks: IRL, a series of short films of real-life stories. Junior's episode "Hollyoaks saved my life" was the first episode to be released on 16 June 2021. Hollyoaks Saved My Life (Hollyoaks: IRL) was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award in the Short Form Programme 2022.

Junior was invited by Channel 4 to attend the British Academy Television Awards on 8 May 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. They were accompanied by Charlie the Duck, Vera Chok (who plays Honour Chen-Williams) and Kieron Richardson (who plays Ste Hay). On 26 November 2022, Junior attended the Royal Television Society Awards (North West) and received the Best Digital Creativity award for the Hollyoaks: IRL series.

Gross Up

In February 2022, the British factual entertainment series Gross Up, which was produced by True North Productions for E4, featured John Junior in episode 6. The series follows six cast members having their belongings sent away to a laboratory to be scientifically tested for viruses and bacteria. Gut bacteria were found on Junior's equipment by the microbiologists.

Filmography

Discography

Awards and nominations