ITV's Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King leaves viewers in tears

The heavyweight boxer opened up about his personal life and mental health in a new three-part documentary

New ITV documentary Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King started on Thursday night, with viewers left emotional after a very personal insight into the life of the 'inspirational' heavyweight fighter.

Fury, 31, bared all in the first of three episodes, as he and his wife Paris opened up about his fight against mental illness, the pressures of fame and fortune on family life and how proud they are of their gypsy lineage.

The first episode documented Fury's preparation as he gears up to take on the biggest fight of his life, hoping to reclaim his title of heavyweight champion of the world against Tom Schwartz. It also delved into his fight to look after his mental health.

Tyson, who was diagnosed with bipolar and obsessive compulsive disorder, suffered a major breakdown in 2015, having just stunned the world when he defeated Wladmir Klitschko.

On the documentary, he said: "I always knew I was unwell, but I always put it to the back of my mind because I had a job to do.

"My job was to become heavyweight champion of the world, so you put all your eggs in one basket and if you’ve an addictive personality, it’s all or nothing in everything you do and you’ve achieved your dream and there’s no further you can go in your career. That was Everest and that’s it – it all came crushing down."

The boxer then failed a drugs test in 2016 and was forced to give up his belts, pushing him into a new low that saw his health decline both mentally and physically. At one point, his wife recalls he hit 29 stone and was drinking a lot.

He candidly admitted: "I woke up wanting to die on a daily basis, I didn’t want to live anymore because I was het up by depression so that’s as low as you can go.

"You’re looking at the man who has everything, acclaim, glory, fame, many achievements, a family and everything that goes with it, the trimmings, the gravy and still he isn’t happy. We’re made to believe success is happiness, but that’s very untrue.”

His wife Paris emotionally opened up about the difficult time, saying: "I remember when he went off in the Ferrari and before he left he said 'I ain’t coming back'. As the day progressed, his phone was off so I called his dad and asked had he heard from him because I don’t know where he’s at and I’m worried."

Tyson added: "One day I woke up and thought today’s the day I end it all."

Their love for each other really shone through though, with Tyson revealing how Paris supported her childhood sweetheart and helped him through his difficulties.

The cameras followed both of them to the boxing capital of Vegas, bumping into none other than Robbie Williams on their travels. Tyson took on Tom Schwartz in June 2019 and won.

Fury, whose brother Tommy appeared on Love Island last year, will take on his arch-rival Deontay Wilder for a rematch on February 22, after his defeat in December 2018.

Read more: Tommy Fury and girlfriend 'trying' for a baby

But behind his tough exterior, we saw the softer side of the fighter, as he played with his kids and talked about when he first met his wife.

Unsurprisingly, viewers were left totally moved by Tyson's story so far, taking to Twitter to heap praise on him and Paris.

The second episode of Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King will be shown on ITV at 9pm on February 22, with the finale set to air the following week.

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