Shameless star Tina Malone has said her war hero husband Paul Malone was driven to suicide following his battle with PTSD.
Tina previously revealed how her ‘world fell apart’ after her spouse of 13 years died -and says she is speaking out about how he died in the name of ‘transparency’ and to encourage conversations around supporting veterans.
She has revealed he turned to drink and drugs in an attempt to cope with his time serving in the armed forces – and believes he is now ‘in a better place’.
Brookside actress Tina, 61, said tonight: ‘I’ve not spoken about this publicly until this minute. It’s the first time I’ve said it and confirmed it. Paul did commit suicide. I believe in transparency.’
Paul was a former member of the 22nd Regiment of the Cheshires, serving in Northern Ireland, Belize, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands – where he was nicknamed Chevy by fellow squaddies because of his surname, after the comedian.
Tina Malone has confirmed her husband died by suicide and says she is speaking out in the name of ‘transparency’ and to encourage others to talk about mental health
Tina with husband Paul in 2015. She said he turned to drink and drugs in an attempt to cope with his poor mental health after serving in the armed forces
Paul (pictured during his time with the Cheshire regiment) served all over the world – including in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands
The couple shared one daughter together called Flame, now 11, who Tina gave birth to in 2013 following IVF, when she was 50 years old (pictured all together in 2014)
She penned on Twitter: ‘Six weeks ago today was the worst day of my entire life, my world fell apart, my hubby Paul is dead, but he lives forever in my heart x’
But Tina said he would talk often about the Army when he was drunk – and she encouraged him to seek help to cope with what he saw while serving his country.
Paul – with whom she had daughter Flame, now 11, via IVF – was eventually diagnosed with PTSD three years ago.
Tina said: ‘When he got drunk he’d ramble about the army and I’d tell him, “You have depression, you have emotional issues because of what you’ve seen”. But he’d sweep it away. He’d say, “How will I get a job if I have that?”‘
She and Paul met at a boot camp event where he was a personal trainer after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
But their relationship was troubled in 2017 as Tina was arrested and cautioned for cocaine possession – being sacked from a pantomime in the process – while Paul lost his job caring for violent teenagers.
The couple were left facing bankruptcy and Tina says his mental health spiralled during this time, using prescription drugs and cocaine in an attempt to cope before attempting to take his own life.
He was admitted to psychiatric care, and was given help by an veterans charity, but Tina said he would experience mood swings.
Eventually, Tina said, Paul ‘couldn’t fight anymore’. After making food for Flame, he kissed Tina, went out – and was dead hours later.
‘He felt lost, he felt useless,’ she said.
Tina’s remarks, reported by the Mirror, come as she intends to launch a new charity in his name, Paul’s Flame to help people in times of crisis.
She added: ‘This is a man who served his country. The only way I can get through is by fighting for change, addressing the issues facing veterans and soldiers, trying to help others.’
Last year, statistics on British military veteran suicides were published for the first time and expose the mental health crisis facing our soldiers as they retire from service and attempt to return to civilian life.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 – the most recent figures available – suicides by men aged 35 to 44 were almost twice as high among veterans as non-veterans, at 33.5 per 100,000, compared to 18.8.
Tina previously confessed that she is ‘broken’ following the death of her husband Paul, after she revealed the last conversation they had on the day he died.
In a social media update, she responded to fans who had left her ‘kind messages’ and shared their own personal stories of loss
Tina Malone said her husband Paul Chase dying was the ‘worst day of her entire life’ in a heartbreaking post on Wednesday (seen in 2014)
Tina Malone and Paul Chase pictured together in 2017. She says his death has left her ‘bereft’
Tina took to her social media this week to admit the loss of her husband has left her ‘bereft’.
In a heartbreaking post, she detailed Paul’s final hours before he died, revealing that he had made breakfast for their daughter and kissed Tina goodbye.
She tweeted: ‘Four weeks ago at 4pm today my hubby made scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, sausages for Flame, kissed me and said see you later….
’10 hours later he was dead, I am broken, so bereft.’
Paul was laid to rest two weeks ago, with a crowd of mourners gathering outside Tina’s home in Liverpool, where she joined them and received hugs and comfort from friends and relatives.
Many could be seen drying their eyes as fellow veterans helped to carry Paul’s coffin to his hearse, which was draped in a flag with his dress hat from the Cheshire Regiment placed on top.
The Cheshire Regiment Association, which Paul belonged to, shared pictures of the former officer in his military uniform, in honour of the man they affectionately knew as ‘Chevy’.
Friends from the regiment turned out in force for his funeral, with many in the group wearing regimental ties and some of his pallbearers proudly showing their medals.
A statement on Facebook read: ‘We have received the very sad news that Paul ‘Chevy’ Chase died yesterday at the age of 42. Paul was married to the actress Tina Malone.
‘RIP Paul. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this sad time.’
Tina tied the knot with Paul, who is 19 years her junior, in 2010 and they were married for nine years, before briefly separating in 2019 – getting back together just months later in February 2020.
Following their 2020 reunion, the soap star said their relationship was back to normal and said their ‘love never went away.’
She told Closer magazine at the time: ‘The love never went away, we’re working on things now, our problems were compounded by depression but I learned that in tough times you have to pull together and not apart.’