James Middleton has put pen to paper in memory of his late dog Ella, who he considered his strength as he battled depression.
On Friday, Kate Middleton’s younger brother announced that he had written a memoir, Meet Ella: The dog that saved my lifewhich will be published on 26.09.
“Now, as many of you know, I credit Ella with saving my life when I was eclipsed by clinical depression and she passed away just over a year ago. My heart broke…we were inseparable for 15 years. So I decided to share her journey through this book,” explained James, 36, in an Instagram video, proudly holding the first manuscript.
“I know many of you have your own Ellas or may need one. I hope this book will also help us talk more openly about our mental health, our need for connection and how the animals we think we care for actually care for us in return,” he added.
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James announced in January 2023 that his beloved dog had died after a “short illness”, and said Tatler that writing the book helped him deal with his grief after her death.
“Ella was there in so many important moments of my life, including when I met Alizee. Our son was born after Ella died, so Inigo didn’t get to meet her, but it’s important to me that he knows everything about her,” said the entrepreneur. Tatler in an interview published on Friday, talking about his wife Alizee Thevenet and their son Inigo, whose birth was announced in October.
“Another reason I wanted to write this book was so I could tell Inigo the story of how I met his mother,” he added of the sweet story of how he met his future wife after Ella ran into her at a restaurant.
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James said Tatler that his therapist suggested he talk aloud to Ella while struggling with depression, which reminded him “how powerful it can be to put things into words.”
“It gave me the confidence to talk to others, and that was transformative. By writing this book, I hope to help other people talk about their mental health – whether their difficulties are in the past or something they’re currently dealing with,” he explained.
Ella was the first dog James had as an adult, and he previously said that bringing her to his therapy sessions made a big difference.
“I got this diagnosis and Ella came to all my treatments, which I was reluctant to do from the beginning,” he told the BBC. Sunday Morning Live in 2020. “But with her by my side, I really became confident in understanding that I had a mental illness.”
I would go so far as to say that I owe Ella my life, and she doesn’t know it, he added.
James Middleton with his dogs Inka, Luna, Ella and Mabel in London in 2020.
Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via Getty Images
That same year, he launched an all-natural pet food company called Ella & Co. 2020 in her honor. Over the summer, he changed the company’s name to James & Ella to better reflect its heritage.
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James and Alizee are pet parents to six other dogs, but they included Ella in their social media announcement of Inigo’s birth.
The Princess of Wales’ brother shared the happy news of his son’s birth by posting a photo of himself holding Inigo’s hand, with a gold Ella pendant between them.
“We settled into our new life as parents and I told him everything about Ella and that if it wasn’t for her he wouldn’t be here today and that we miss him a lot. The dogs welcomed their little brother into the pack fantastically,” James wrote in part.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the text crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education