Musical superstar and mental health champion Will Young honoured by the University of Exeter

Musical superstar and mental health champion Will Young spoke movingly about the power of being generous to others and true to yourself as he accepted an honorary degree from the University of Exeter.

Will received a rapturous welcome back to campus – two decades after he graduated from the university with a politics degree before going on to be the first Pop Idol winner in 2001. He said he was “proud” and “choked” up to be recognised.

During his career he has released six chart topping albums and earned two BRIT Awards, as well as acting and presenting programmes on TV and radio.

Will’s mental health podcast ‘The Wellbeing Lab’ has run for two seasons, and he has recently published two books focusing on mental health ‘To Be A Gay Man’ and ‘Be Yourself And Happier’.  Will’s latest release, the single ‘Falling Deep’ will be accompanied by an album due for release in August this year, followed by a tour in the autumn.

Will reminisced about his student days, including his “fond memories” of frequenting the Esso garage near the Duryard halls of residence in Exeter.

He said: “Even though I’m 45 I don’t feel older than I was when I was here 20 years ago and this makes me feel happy. Many things can happen in our adult lives which can take away our sense of youthful excitement and curiosity.”

Will told the audience how much it had meant to him to be an openly gay contestant on Pop Idol. He had been told not to talk about his sexuality by programme makers and refused.

“I had a line I wouldn’t cross. I had greater faith in the public than the industry did and I was proved right and I was true to myself”.

Will also spoke about his experiences of living with, and being treated for, depression and how that has influenced his career and made him decide to always speak honestly about his life and feelings.

He told new graduates: “There will be some of you who might be sitting there pretending you are ok but inside you are not. To you I doff my cap because I know the strength and the pain it takes to pretend and I also know the strength and bravery it takes to share your inner world and how awful it is when that is rejected. Pick who you share with wisely. Sometimes the people who you think might be able to share your emotional reality aren’t always the ones who can. Find the people who truly can hear you and truly sit with you without judgement.”

Will advised graduates to always be careful about how they treat others and to be vigilant to avoid feeling shame. He said: “Guilt can be healthy. Shame is a black tar nobody needs in their lives.”

He also encouraged the audience to compliment strangers, to be kind and empathetic but also to have strong boundaries and say no to people and not to follow the crowd. He also told them to hold themselves to account, stand up to others, to remember perfection doesn’t exist and not to compare themselves to others.

He said: “Always think of generosity. It’s a quality much undervalued and underexplored but when we receive it we never forget it.”

Will described how the DJ and presenter Jo Whiley had helped him by sending him pictures of sausage dogs each week while he was in a treatment centre suffering from depression. He said: “That generosity – she doesn’t know I’m talking about this – has stayed with me and will do until the end of my days. How you behave to others can sometimes have an effect for the rest of their lives and you might never even know and you don’t need to know.”