DJ and presenter Tyler West has opened up about the “knock-on effect” of witnessing a fatal stabbing at the age of 14.
The 29-year-old from south London addressed his issues with “control” while appearing on the BBC One show Celebrity Race Across The World, which sees four celebrities and their loved ones look to complete a 3,670-mile race through Central America.
Speaking to his girlfriend, EastEnders actress Molly Rainford, he said: “I didn’t know this would be this much outside of my comfort zone. I always like to be in control of things or know what I’m getting myself into.
“If I can control it, I feel like I can then look after the situation the best I possibly can.
“When I compare it to when I was a teenager, it was on another level.
“I was absolutely, like, petrified of witnessing something that was completely out of my control, and all I wanted to do was put a stop to it.
“You feel helpless, and I just don’t want to feel that ever in my life again.”
Later in a confessional, he said: “I was coming home from school one day, and there were these three men having an argument outside my house.
“One of the two men threw a really weak punch to the man that was on his own, and then one of the men had a 12-inch kitchen knife in his hand.
“All of a sudden, it was like me standing there at my bedroom window at 14 and just seeing this man get stabbed to death.
“It was one of the most horrific moments of my life.
“I just remember being there at the Old Bailey, just being petrified of so many factors, like will all these people be able to see me? Will they know that I’m testifying? And I just didn’t really know how to process it, and it had such a knock on effect to my mental health. I was indoors for like two years.
“It matured me really quick, and it… it was just really hard.”
During Thursday’s episode of the reality competition programme, the celebrities were told they must fly to Liberia, Costa Rica, after permission to film in Nicaragua was not granted.
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Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn and his mother Jackie were the first to reach the checkpoint at Bocas del Toro in Panama, and were followed by radio presenter Roman Kemp and his sister Harley.
Third to the checkpoint was presenter Anita Rani and her father, Bal, and they were followed by West and Rainford.
