Heston Blumenthal: Celebrity chef 'thinking more clearly' after bipolar diagnosis

Heston Blumenthal says he is back in the kitchen and “thinking more clearly” as he embarks on a new ambassadorial role following his diagnosis with bipolar disorder.

The British TV chef and restaurateur said he hoped to change perceptions in his new role as an official ambassador for Bipolar UK, after he was diagnosed in November 2023.

The 58-year-old said that since speaking publicly about his diagnosis he has received thousands of messages from people living with bipolar.

“I laughed out loud after receiving a message from a woman who told me that during a manic episode she thought the TV was talking to her,” he told the PA news agency.

“The reason I laughed out loud was because I experienced the same thing.”

Bipolar is an episodic disorder characterised by sometimes extreme changes in mood and energy which has the highest risk of suicide of any mental health condition.

Supported by his wife Melanie Ceysson, Blumenthal was admitted to hospital because of the condition in late November 2023.

The chef, famous for his experimental dishes such as snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream, said medication he was taking for bipolar initially dulled his culinary imagination.

“When I first came out of hospital the medications were so strong I was zombified - I had no energy at all,” he told PA.

“As my medications have been changed and my levels of self-confidence and self-awareness have gone up I realise my imagination and creativity is still there.”

Blumenthal runs a number of award-winning restaurants, including the three Michelin starred The Fat Duck and says he is more involved with the restaurant than he has been in years.

“I sort of got tired of cooking, and after my hospitalisation, I spent the last year stabilising from it with the medication,” he said.

“I had lost my flow of things in the kitchen but it’s coming back - I have more clarity, I’m more lucid and I’m thinking more clearly.

“I’m now more involved with The Fat Duck than I’ve been for a long time.”

Embarking on his new ambassadorial role, Blumenthal emphasised the importance of support from loved ones and self-awareness in managing his symptoms.

He said he wanted to work with Bipolar UK, a mental health charity, to encourage early diagnosis so people living with the condition could enjoy a better quality of life.

“I was diagnosed about 15 months ago but I realise I’ve had it for years,” Blumenthal said.

“Diagnosis is so crucial because it changes the perceptions of the people around you and it also helps you to understand your behaviour and how the condition presents itself via symptoms.”

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