We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson - Tyler West Opens Up About The Traumatic Event Age 14 That Shaped His Life

Episode Date: December 23, 2025

Radio DJ and Presenter Tyler West sits down with Paul for a raw and emotional conversation about the life-defining moments that have shaped him. From witnessing a brutal attack at just 14 years old to his rise on Strictly Come Dancing and his relationship with girlfriend Molly Rainford, Tyler shares the untold stories of the struggles he’s overcome and the resilience he’s built in the face of unimaginable challenges. Tyler opens up about the harrowing impact of witnessing a violent attack right outside his bedroom window and how it shaped his mental health for years. For the first time, he talks about the dark thoughts he kept hidden from his mum. He reflects on his journey from the streets of Sutton to landing a spot on CBBC, eventually competing on Strictly Come Dancing, where he met the love of his life, Molly Rainford. Tyler reveals the struggles that followed the high of Strictly, including the emotional crash that no one talks about after the limelight fades. Tyler shares: ◽The shocking details of a crime he witnessed and how it haunted him for years ◽His relationship with his brother and how they communicate their emotions openly  ◽How he met girlfriend Molly Rainford on Strictly and fell in love ◽The crash he faced after Strictly and the hidden realities of fame ◽The truth about their time on Race Across The World with Molly ◽How he's feeling about taking over the KISS Breakfast Show ◽Why he believes mental health awareness is crucial and how he’s advocating for change Tyler West, We Need To Talk This conversation includes discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. We’ve included support charities below:  Samaritans: https://g2ul0.app.link/xghDmmYV4Wb    Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): https://g2ul0.app.link/npaQKXUV4Wb  Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod (00:00) Intro (01:56) Paul and Tyler's Connection Through Sutton (02:37) What Was the Sutton Tyler Grew Up In Like? (06:27) What Did Tyler Learn About Love From His Family? (08:22) Paul Shows Tyler a Photo of Him as a Baby (09:06) Tyler's Relationship With His Mother as a Child (11:19) Tyler's Relationship With His Brother Growing Up Through to Adulthood (14:25) Paul Surprises Tyler With a Letter From His Brother (17:29) How Tyler's Father Re-Entered His Life at 14 Years Old (18:53) Tyler Discusses the Murder He Witnessed as a Teenager and How It Affected Him (26:55) Tyler's Lowest Ebb After His Traumatic Experience (30:43) Statistics on Knife Crime (31:40) Tyler's Experience of the Ensuing Court Case (34:26) What Could Have Made Tyler's Experience Better? (35:58) Top Things Tyler Thinks Could Change the Knife Crime Epidemic (38:07) Tyler's Experience Growing Up Mixed Race in the UK (43:21) How Tyler Found His Voice and Began His Presenting Career (51:17) Paul and Tyler Talk About Authenticity in Front of the Camera (54:12) Adobe Express Ad (55:26) Huel Ad (56:40) Tyler's Experience of Being on Strictly (01:01:20) Tyler's Experience of Being on Race Across the World (01:11:38) How Tyler First Met His Partner Molly (01:21:13) Paul Shows Tyler a Message From Molly (01:24:24) Tyler’s Advice for Anyone Struggling to Open Up and Find Their Voice (01:29:22) Tyler’s Relationship With King Charles III and The King’s Trust (01:32:37) Tyler’s Proudest Moment of His Career (01:33:55) The Future for Tyler and Molly (01:36:23) Most Memorable Conversation (01:40:19) Paul’s Takeaways Sponsored by: Adobe Express: https://ADOBE.LY/PAUL Huel: https://uk.huel.com/WNTT with code WNTT  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help. You're racing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance. Find Ollie's sleep solutions for the whole family at ollie.com. That's O-L-L-L-Y.com. When I was 14, I witnessed a murder. My brother's screaming. I had the police, let me up, let me up. My brother thought it was me.

So it was me, my mum and my brother growing up. It's just pure working class. But what was going on in your world? My mum, she'd cry her eyes out all night because that's all she could afford. Now I've got a big reason to keep on going because I owe it to her. How it actually panned out was like I was working like 40 hours

at McDonald's and then I was traveling up to see BBC on a Thursday night, recording the show on a Friday morning, and then that would be it. But who would have thought from where I started? Where I started I would ever end up in Buckingham Palace. But I'm still working it out. Everybody always looks at you and goes, oh yeah, Ty, you're the confident one.

Oh, you was on Stripby, swear down. But I'm still with that 14 year old self, that's like, absolutely sure. I went through like two years of pain, which led into some of the best accomplishments of my life. I've met Love & My Life. I count my lucky star. When I was younger, I couldn't open my blind

because otherwise, I was convinced something bad would happen to me. Couldn't use a knife and thought. For the best part of two years, It built up a lot to the point that then it was unavoidable. My mom doesn't even know this. I can't remember how long I was out on this bridge for. Hey there, before we get started, I just want to say a huge thank you for being here and watching the show.

It's really one of the greatest honors of my career to have these conversations. Can I ask a small favor? Hit the subscribe button, please. It's just one click. It's completely free and it helps us grow the community. The more we grow, the bigger the guests we can bring on. Yes, we can bring on and the deeper the conversations we can have. Thank you, truly, it means a lot. Tyler West, we need to talk.

There's a million places that we could start with. But we have to start with the place that is near and dear to my heart. And that is sudden. Yes. Sutton. Do you know what? You've helped put it back on the map. Yeah, because the sudden that I know, wasn't the sudden that you talk about, you know.

Really? It's tough. Yeah. Well, I mean, it still is like sort of certain areas, certain parts of Sutton. But yeah, I was born and raised there, man. St. Helio Hospital. Okay. My mum worked there from like the longest, like ever since I was born.

And she still works there now. And it's, yeah, so it's a special place. It's a big community. Yes. So how would you describe the Sutton that you grew up in? It's one of those places that you don't really have much opportunity around. Like you look at the surroundings and it's like, Everybody kind of keeps themselves.

It was quite a racist area. There was many, it was very diverse at all. There was a lot of trouble, like a lot of anti-social behavior. And it's just, it's one of the biggest, I swear it was like one of the biggest council states in Europe that I've grown up on. And the people that come with that are people that are just hurt. So when all of a sudden you're on your walk to school and all you see it's, you know, family's arguing.

Or like, it's, there was a TikTok about. about ages ago and it was like, when there's an argument going on in the street and then you're that nosy person to lean out the window, that's what the whole community is. It's like there would always be something going on and then sirens going past and then you just look at the window

and then that's it, you just be the nosy neighbor. Gotcha. But also, in the monks that, it does have hope and it does have some really cool nuggets of people that have been gone on to do amazing things. Yes, yes. You know, one of the areas

that I've been shocked with with the guests is that I would say the overwhelming majority of the guests and we need to talk grew up in council estates, which I didn't realize because in the states we call them projects. Yeah, yeah, of course. You know, but it's government housing in essence. So in the states, though, I feel like our government or our projects, our government housing is more ethnic and race-based.

But here it feels like it's a full mix of, of people. Yeah. So how would you describe, like, the demographics of your, of your council estate? It's hard. It's, I mean, it's the classism. It's just pure working class.

It's just pure people that are just trying to put food in the table. It was never like, oh, we're gonna have a flashy car. I'd never, I'd never seen any of them rolling around the area unless it was drug dealers, you know? And I think that, yeah, it's just, it's a real weird mix of people, but it's all working class.

Okay, it's all working on us. It's all people on the same sort of struggle and household. And you would think that maybe that might be quite an inspiring environment to be around people like-minded that are, you know, really trying to work hard. But it's people that are working back-to-back jobs just to try and put food on the table. And that's also quite, I mean, it's quite damaging from a young age because then you're looking around and I'm like, well, I don't really see me moving out of the ends. Do you know what I mean?

I don't really see me going anywhere else. I don't really see me travelling. I'd never went abroad for the longest. Like I couldn't imagine what it was like to, you know, I'm like, to, you know, I don't imagine what it was like to have like Sky TV or be able to watch other channels other than one, two, three, four, five. Okay. And that's the sort of environment that it is.

But you make, I had some of the best memories. I'm playing out in the street and we're playing Kirby. We're throwing the board at the curb and, you know, we're putting a, whilst most people were like, like playing on their playstations and things like that, I would crack a can and put it on the back of my bike. Yes. Drive it around the green across the road on the, on the opposite apartments.

And we were just like, pretend it's a motorbike. And so you'd drive him around. Oh, because of the sound. I'd be lalking on the, oh, yeah, yeah. When we and my brother would play out. But, yeah, it's, um, it's, it's, it's an experience that that comes to stay right there. Yeah. Yes.

So you mentioned your brother there. So who was part of the family unit when you were. Okay, so it was me, my mom and my brother growing up. Okay, South London, in Sutton. All right. My brother actually has a cookie shop there. He's still, yeah, it literally in Sutton High Street. He's a cookie shop.

a cookie shopping lockdown it's a long story we'll come to it you like you said we could chat all day um but yeah it was me my mom my brother and we was just like yeah the closest unit like inseparable okay so so what did you learn about love from your mother and from your brother love from my mother was i mean deb's is just she's the best she's she's a 360 kind of love like she will she'll do anything to support you i've seen her struggle at the best of times um and and Then my brother gave me love. It was almost like, because my dad and my mum broke up when I was younger, when I was six months, right?

And I thought at the time, like, growing up, I never really understood it. My brother was actually kind of like a father figure to me because he was just the prominent figure. Like, older than me, I looked up to him. He was the, I was the shyest kid in the whole entire world. Like, I would never talk to anybody. And my brother was the loud one.

He was the singer. He was the footballer. He was the sports. He was the guy that was like, he would have all the girls chasing him. He would be the popular one. Got involved in like some wrong sort of stuff with gangs and things like that when he was younger. But still, he was the person that no matter what happened, he would be there to support, provide and just protect us. And my mum, you know, that came from her because she, she, I've never seen a woman go through so much hurt and pain.

And then on the other side of it, still put us up. still put a smile on her face and pretend everything's okay. Right. Do you see what I'm saying? It was character building. Character building and it shaped who we are today without a doubt. And I would imagine a lot of those smiles that she was putting on her face was to protect you. Yeah.

And protect your brother. Yeah, because from the moment, like six months old, I was a cute baby, Paul, right? I was a cute baby. And I'm sat there from early days and I'm going, wow, am I just not enough? Like I'd be lying if I said any... Because of how cute you were? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I tell you what, you know, Tyler, I have many surprises for you.

Okay. Can I give you a surprise right now? Yeah. Because you're talking about how cute you were. Yeah. I want you to see this. You know what this is? No, what is it?

Is it AI? No way. Do you see that? You can't describe because it will be. This is, um... What is... What are you looking at right there? This is, this is me.

Probably around... I was a chubby baby. This is me... I don't remember that. You sure? Shoot you ain't stretch this a little bit or warp this a little bit. Now, this is me, my brother Lewis and my mum dubs. And that is, that's like, even though I look like I'm doing some blue still pose there as well.

You too. I'm just going to say, that was, that's there. That's a really special memory right now, man. Well, do you, now do you know what was happening in that moment? In, in my mom's world. Yes. Yeah, no. You don't?

No. In my mom's world. Well, now I do. Now I'm older, obviously. In my mum's world, there was a lot of pain, there was a lot of struggle. There was, there was times there that she wanted to give up, but she kept on going. Like, I've never, like, that strength and tenacity was just on another level. She, like, I'll give you some examples, right?

And I'll hold on. Yeah, but I'll give us back to. Yeah, please do, please do. There's been some instances throughout my childhood that didn't, when I was younger, I was like, oh this is normal but then when I'm older I've then seen the pain so we used to do this uh we used to do this game where we go to the supermarket when it was empty and my mom would like give us like all these pennies and pounds or any change that she had and she was like right cool you're gonna run around the aisles and get the cheapest dinner possible whoever gets it wins and me and my brother

were doing like supermarket sweep like wouldn't didn't have a lot of money but we're like comparing things and we're running around and we're having the best amount of time we'll get back home and then mom would put us to bed make us beans on toast and put us to bed and then she'd cry her eyes out all night because that's all she could afford do you know what i mean she we didn't have anything i can't even imagine in this day and age of like what my mum must have been going through mentally and then i also felt like now i've got a big reason to keep on going to do it for her because i owe it to her i feel like i owe it to her within me to like always provide and protect and and in anybody i love because i've seen my mom do it

when she had nothing. So then now that I've got a platform or now that I'm on a role, I'm like, yeah, let's keep going. Like, don't worry about it. I can reassure you, like, don't worry about it, Mum. You've done your part. You couldn't give me. She always says to me all the time and I say,

Mom, why are you doing that? She always goes, I couldn't give you like the money and the big house. And I'm sorry, like, I couldn't take you on all those holidays and things like that. And I was like, but that's all just materialistic. What you did for me is priceless. Yes. It's priceless stuff. Like, I find it hard not to be like her.

Interesting. I can see how love was in your life, early in your life. You had it from grandparents. You had it from your mother. Clearly, you had it from your brother. Yeah. But I love to know what did you learn specifically about love from your brother? My brother, do you know what?

He gave me, he was the one to sort of make the mistakes out of the two of us. He was the reckless one, right? He made the mistakes and I learned, and I was so grateful for him to do that because then I learned almost like from his mistakes. So I kind of, he guided me on a different path. He was like, no, you ain't got to do that. No, Ty, come on, you, and he would protect me.

If I was in trouble in the street, it would turn up. He'd be like, call me, I'm there. Like, he was always that support. It was sort of like that hard love. Yes. Until we broke the light switch in our bedroom and then he blamed me. And we were grounded for a week. Yeah, that was in love there.

That was just snaking. And he was also my voice. This is the thing from young. I mentioned, like, I was the shyest person ever growing up. I would not talk. My mom actually got called into my primary school. And they were like, oh, is everything all right at home? And she was like, yeah, everything's fine.

Why? And it was like, oh, because Tyler hasn't spoken, like, all week. Like, we're really concerned about him. Whereas I was going home from school. I was like, my mom would say to me, oh, how was school? And I was like, yeah, sweet. That was fine. But I just, I was.

I was so shy. I would shake with fear. And my brother, I would just, I would stand behind his leg and he would just say, no, he'd have an ice cream, please. He would be my voice on an everyday basis. And now the irony is, is that like, I do what I do for work. And it's like, I can't stop to all kids. Oh, my God. So talking about talking is how frequent did you and your brother talk about your emotions with each other? Because, you know, so I have a, I have a brother, younger brother and it's one of those where I feel like okay we're close but we don't really talk about our emotions and talk about how we feel towards each other is that something that you and your brother did or we're haven't done we never spoke about it much when we were younger

but now our relationship now oh yeah all the time we have these um we have these things we We call it coffee meetings. And depending on what coffee he texts me, it depends that I know his stress level. So if he goes, oh, yeah, it's a vanilla latte day. I'm like, okay, it's one of those ones. Let's jump on the phone, let's catch up. So the vanilla latte day is not a good day.

It's not a good day. I don't know why because it's a really, it's like, it was like the first coffee we had. It's actually my favorite, right? It's not saying there's a bad coffee already there. He's like, yeah, man, I'm doing well. If he says, oh, yeah, I'm doing well, I'm going to have a black coffee today.

I'm like, okay, right, he's fine. He's just grafting. He's getting through it. Vanilla latte, yeah, let's catch up really quick. Really, that means it's something. Yeah. But you two are having these conversations. Has your brother ever written you a letter?

No. No. That's interesting. You know why? Why? I got this one. What is... This is a letter from Lewis.

He didn't even write me a birthday card last year. Oh, really? What is this? If you could read that out loud for us. It says, Ty, my hero. Okay, deep breath before you read this. You know how emotional you get, see?

Oh, geez, Paul, ma'am. You know how emotional you get? And I'm already crying right in it, so we're both in danger here. Honestly, this whole moment feels wild. Not only am I writing you an actual letter, my first one, I think, but you're reading it in front of Paul. Someone we've both admired for so many years. The universe is crazy.

Thank you, bro, for creating these moments. Tire, let me start by saying thank you. Thank you for being the person who brightens up every room when you don't feel like your bright self. Thank you for your humour, your kindness and for cracking us up at all the moments that make no sense. Thank you for being my little brother, big brother. You know, I'm told him. But also the person who's taught me more about strength and resilience than any book or quote ever could. Inspire me and so many others every single day in ways you probably don't even realize.

I'm so grateful for you, your support, your laughter, your ability to make even the hardest days feel a little lighter, especially on those ice vanilla latte days. Those lean cups for me are the truest form of therapy. At all the time, most people have no idea how much weight you carry day to day. I just want to remind you to go easier on yourself. You don't have to hold everything together all the time. It's completely okay to pause, breathe and take a step back. On the days where you question your worth or wonder if you're on the right path, please remember this. You are loved, respected and admired. not because of what you do, but because of who you are.

I love you, bro. Keep dreaming and never stop being you. P.S. Blake says, woguan, unks. My little nephew, Blake. Oh, man. Jeez, whoa, they just floated from the first line right there. That was a beautiful, beautiful letter.

That's from Lewis. That's incredible. You know what, it's growing up, I always said to Lewis in every birthday card that I've ever. written, I always said, bro, you're my idol, you're my hero. So then when he put you're my hero, that's why immediately somebody was chopping onions in here. And obviously, a couple of tears came out right now. That is, um, I want to get that back to you. That's amazing. So you start every letter for him, you're my hero. Yeah, every birthday called Christmas guy, I'm like, oh, bro, you're my

I always mentioning it, you're my idol, ma'am, you're my hero. Because he also, we, we didn't have the easiest start growing up and I feel like he was going through it at a different he was at a different age he's five years old than me he was at a different age and he would he would remember a lot more hurt and a lot more stuff whereas I was a lot younger at the time yes so I couldn't process it yes so then by 14 though your father comes back into your life in a much stronger way yeah what was the cause of that probably I tell you what out of my whole life that was probably the worst one day where if I could look up and see my dad and he showed up, he showed up and it was at the, it was at the old Bailey, the court in London because I witnessed a murder. And this was the court case

that then went on. This is like, it's so hard. Every single time I talk about it, because the minute I say the word, it takes me back to that 14 year old self. And when I was 14, it was the hardest transition period for me to get my head around things and understand how I was feeling. I literally, to this day, I still have this like, oh, 14 year old 14 year old in the back of my head. It's just that year. That one year was so traumatic and it all happened at once. And I've gone, I don't think I can do this, you know? Yeah, he showed up on that day. He showed up for you. The day that sounds like you needed him the most. Yeah. That's love. That's love for sure.

Just a warning before we get into this next section, we discuss suicide and suicide ideation. Please watch with care. Are you open to talk about what you witnessed at 14? Yeah. Yeah. So if we go back to the start, it's, so again, on my council estate, it's kind of like everyone knows everyone. And then there was like some local alcoholics, right? So I've finished an after-school club and I'm coming back off or I'll get off the bus.

and I'm coming up and walking up my road and I'm on the phone to my mum because she don't know how to work the TV and I'm like mum listen I'm gonna be back in a second and it was about I want to say like five to eight say for example of then by the time I've got up to where my house is there's these these guys that live opposite having an argument just literally out in the middle road it's just me and them and then I've like ignored it gone inside and I said to my mom I was like oh that those those alcoholics are arguing again because that's what happens on the council state it's always so so busy and then i've gone upstairs dump my bag in my room and i was like oh i'm gonna be i'm just gonna see what this

argument's about i've pulled the pulled the blinds up turned the light off and i'm watching now it was like a two-on-one argument one of the two men for a weak really really weak punch to the man that was on his own and the man that was on his own now by this point my mom's coming up the stairs on the phone to the police by this point the man's sort of walking towards my house so now he's not far and he's just fallen he looked like he was on the phone but he's just falling on his face and then i'm like oh mum that like that proper fighting and then all of a sudden the two men have like walked closer to the man that was laying in the road and one of the two men had a 12 inch kitchen knife in his hand and what he had done was uh cut and slash the man's neck

open and the man was holding it and has then fallen onto the ground in the middle of the road And then the phone call with my mum went on. It must have been about seven, eight minutes with the police. And in that seven, eight minutes, the man did not stop slashing and stabbing and slashing and stabbing. And it went on and on and on. And I was just frozen. I remember it.

Then my mum, naturally, as a nurse, she's like, I've got help. And my mum's got some towels. And she's gone to run out there. And then I've seen the two men coming out of the apartment. and I've run down and I've dragged my mum inside the house. I said, you can't go out there yet, you can't go out there. They've then gone back inside the house and then my mum goes out there and I follow her out

and she's got these towels on this man, she's on the phone to the police and she said that there's too much blood, there's too much, like he was wearing an England shirt and it was just, it was a white England shirt, it's just covered in red and I just see this man and it was, it was like it didn't feel real. It felt like something from a horror movie. And it was just there laying in front of me. And I'm literally as close as we are now. And the police turned up.

It was like a big rush. Like the police cordoned off the road. And then they went in and arrested the two men. There was tear gas. There was a lot going on. And then I heard a voice at the other end of the road. And it was my brother. Because by the time my mom got off the phone to the police,

she had phoned my brother. She was so hysterical on the phone to my brother. My brother thought it was me. So then my brother's screaming, like at the police, let me up, let me up. It's my brother, it's my brother. And then he's run up the road and looked at this guy and said, oh, thank God.

And then came into the house and said, look, Ty, you're all right. And I was on the sofa having a panicator. I don't remember from seeing the man laying on the floor to then being on my sofa. It was the hardest moment of my life without doubt. And it changed my world forever. You know, at 14, you're thinking about what you're processing.

At 14, you're going through this traumatic experience. As you're watching what's happening, your mother's on the phone. I would imagine that you could not look away. No way. And it's like, because my mom always says it. She goes, oh, I'm tired. My biggest regret is that I didn't pull you away from that window. I didn't protect you and everything like that.

But I was like, that's, that's how I feel about you, you know, not letting you, why, I know you're a nurse, but I didn't need to let you go out there and, and be trying to, to save us, man. But that's just who we are. That's just within us. That's who, that's who we are. And, you know, I had no idea the knock on effect it would have to this day on my life. You know, from immediately after, I mean, it was, it was really hard. My mom did everything to get us moved from that council estate to just further down the road. And that's what eventually happened. She went to the authorities. She went to, you know, the council and the police and said, look, I need you to help because my son won't come out of his bedroom for the best part of two years. My life was just, I couldn't. You couldn't.

What was going on in your world in the two years from that attack? Certain things and certain habits started to kick in. Like, for one, I couldn't open my blind. Every single morning I get out of bed, I had to make me. my bed because otherwise I was convinced something bad would happen to me. I would, couldn't use a knife and fork. I couldn't, if anything sort of happened in an action movie and it was like anything to do with a knife, absolutely not. Even to this day, like Molly, my partner, Molly, she hides my eyes because she's like, you're okay and she checks in on me and I'm like,

it's still so raw, even like, I've just come to the conclusion that I'll never, I'll never get that image out of my head. I live with it every single day. I couldn't walk on the same side of the street that it happened. You could see. where the blood had, like that part of the street was cleaner than the rest of it because where the blood had been cleared up. There was, there was just a lot and anytime alcohol or drugs were involved in an environment or a setting I was in, I would immediately put my back up. I'm like, I'm convinced somebody's going to die here. So I'm convinced there's going to be a fight. I'm convinced it was like all of this PTSD that I just couldn't get rid of.

Yes. And it turned me into the protector, weirdly. I took me into the person that I'd be the first to step in and separate people because I wouldn't want it to get to that. To get to what you thought would be the literal demise of someone. So within the two years too is your mother, I would imagine, she's trying. She doesn't know what to do with you, right? But she's trying her best. What was the relationship like between your mother and your brother during those two years?

The thing is when something significant like that happens, it's a ripple effect, right? It's like dropping a stone into a pond. And it does all the little ripple effects outside. And it doesn't just affect the man that's getting stabbed and the families and the victims or anything like that. It affects the community around it. And there's some things that then I can't unsee that I have to live with every single day. But that man over there, you know, I got so many questions for him. So many questions for the man that did it.

Like, do you do you even remember it? Right. Because he was, he was high and drunk at the time. And it was all to do over a 20 pound bag of cocaine. and that's crazy that you know life can just be gone in an instant yes and that yeah it was my relationship with Lou and mum's relationship with Lou during that time was stuff because I didn't want to talk about anything I I my my sort of reaction to it all was no I can't talk about it whereas my mum just wanted to keep talking about every detail and go over it and over it and that was

probably the worst decision I didn't I ever made like not talking about it was no talking about it yeah and why so because it built up a lot a lot a lot like it was just like sweeping it under the carpet to the point that then it was unavoidable and then it all came out at once in so many different ways to the point that yeah i i i track in myself like it was tough it was really tough man you try to take your life i i went there was one night my mom doesn't even know this there was one night I must have been like and this is this is years after it now

this is years after the two years and I've gone in the middle of the night I've had this like this the thoughts it comes over me like a cloud right and the thoughts come over me and then I'm like I can't stop thinking about it and I was there in the middle of the night and I got

our bed and I went for a walk I think I was like going for a break up at the time and stuff like that it was like a really just wild time and I went for a walk down the A-217 in Sutton. And there's a bridge that goes across and it would usually be, whenever I tried to get into my fitness bag and gone runs, that would be the run route.

There's this bridge that goes across. And I can't remember how long I was out on this bridge for. I can't remember. My phone was dead. Everything that was out. It must have been about half four or five in the morning. And I didn't know what I was going to do. But I felt so low.

And I felt like, well, I can't stop thinking about this. I just want to switch it off. for a second and just a second, but then that second and then I was like, over thinking about that thought process. And I'm like, well, you're here now. And then like, what you're going to, how are you going to explain it? How are you going to bounce back from this? How are you ever going to come to terms with it? And it's like this overthinking, overthinking effect. And there was a no cars out at that time. And then there was just one car that came past, right? And the car beat. And then I was like, you're not going to do this. I was like, you can't? I was like, no way can you?

I went back home, I got into bed and I woke up and I was like, morning mom, I just went about my day. And it's kind of that low moment right there. I always think about the things that have happened in my past from growing up and feeling like a real big struggle with abandonment, seeing lives just vanish in front of me. I see all of these things and I think about those low moments and they push me to where I go today. Like they keep, they keep, you know, me going further that are actually my biggest shrimp and my biggest strength comes about from talking about things yes but at that point it sounds like you were not to your point earlier and you were not talking about these things but you never mentioned that incident to your mother

did you ever mention that to anyone else i spoke to i spoke to molly about it um now so it's more so now because i'm okay and you don't want to burden people you don't want to worry them whereas now I'm like yeah man I'm fighting for it I'm still working it out I'm still still you know

like powering through everybody always looks at you and goes oh yeah Ty you're the confident one you're doing that or you're strictly swear down yeah it was great but I'm still like within side I've still with that 14 year old self

that's like shook like absolutely shook but you know it's each day that goes past every hour that goes past it's all things moving forward and moving on not necessarily moving away from it because it's always there, but another day of dealing with it,

though, another day of being better. Yes. Isn't that something how we always say, and you just said it, that we don't want to burden our loved ones, so therefore we just hold it. But you would want all your loved ones to tell you. Yeah, that's insane.

Now, you did mention, though, that it was your father, though, who showed up for you at the case. So there was a court case. around the moment. So it was, so the UK, the government just introduced a new law about knife crime, saying that it's life imprisonment with a bladed article. It was in 2010 around that time.

The number of offenses involving a knife or sharp object has slowly decreased across the UK with a 5% reduction between 2024 and 2025. However, in London, the number of crimes reported involving a knife were sharp object. reached an all-time high in 2025, with 16,344 incidents recorded. In the period of March 23 to March 24, there were 262 murders involving a knife across England and Wales. Now, this really hits.

57 of these murders were people under the age of 25, and 17 were people under the age of 16. barely lived look at that it seems like the court case was because this gentleman was murdered and the person who did it was facing life in prison

okay it was yeah and and also I think it's the thing about me finding my voice I was the I was the key witness right I was the eyewitness I was the only one that saw the whole thing from start to finish on a busy council estate my dad showed up and he came and supported my mom and my brother and sat there

with him in the gallery in the courtroom where the man was and I was doing it in a separate room at the old Bailey via video link and then um I said like to this chaperone that was with me I was like can they can they see me in there because my biggest fear at that time was like this man's gonna come and kill me like there's nowhere about he's gonna get out prison he's gonna come and stand me I'm about to send him down and he was like yeah yeah all the all of a sudden this massive plasma screens come out in front of the man and he's watching me testify against him instant and I'm like I'm 14 at this time you know 15 it was it was it was it was hard like that

that court case there was yeah it was horrible and also the thing that I will never ever leave me to this day I know what I saw and there was there was another man there and the other man was kicking the body and moving the body trying to put it in the bag and I testified against my ididim on an ID parade at a police station in Lewisham and then still that man got re-housed by the council to the other side of Croydon. And he got like, well, because he didn't have any drugs or alcohol on his system

and it was a 14-year-old's testimony going against them. So the second man was let go. So you must be very fearful at that point because you know he's out. I used to go Croydon all the time with my school friends, right? I wouldn't go there. I would not go there.

It's only until now more recent days, I'm like, yeah, I can go there now. But it's a place I've grown up. So it's hard. Like the thought process is that from the get got, I've always been feeling like my voice has never been enough. Like even when then I finally did start to just discover my voice, it's like, well, it's not enough.

They don't believe you. Right. Because look what happens. Yeah. The gentleman who actually perpetrated the crime of stabbing that gentleman, what happened to him? So he said that he had mental health difficulties. and he has gone away for, he has gone away to prison.

And he got like an extra, something like 300, life in prison and an extra 350 days or something for putting a damaging imprint on a 14-year-old's mind. But he's gone to a mental health prison, and that's where he currently is. Okay, okay. When you reflect back, is there anything that you think,

the system, society, individuals could have, should have done better. So much. Like I, for example, I'm sat in this room and the chaperone, first of all, then now told me, yeah, absolutely everybody can see your face. That's not good enough. Like, I'm 14. Like, what's the point? I might as well be sat in the room next to him giving it live in person.

What's the point in doing it via video link? And then there's also the case of where this evidence portals, folio in front of me and then the defense will go, can you turn to page 56? And then I'm going through on the first page is there's the man's body. On the second page, there's the knife. I'm now seeing things that were in his apartment

that I hadn't even seen. I'm seeing blood splatters. I'm seeing like different parts of the street. It's all of these things that then now it's just made that imprint worse. Now it's made it like, oh, here's a flashback tie. Don't worry, just get to page 56 and say, yeah, is this the view from your wish?

window. Yes, it is. There's so much that could have been handled in a different way. And I think, you know, you said the statistics yourself. Like, lifegram hasn't changed. It hasn't gone anyway. It's still here. It's still, it's worse. So at what point does there come a change? At what point, I don't know what the answer is. Like my whole career so far in the back of my mind, I've been, you know, speaking with people and trying to learn so much more about it. But nobody can seem to get to the answer. Sure. Sure. But what do you, you know, what do you believe? Because I would imagine this is one of those equations where it's 50 different things that need to change, you know, for us to have actual change.

But what do you believe are the two, three most substantive things that need to change? Obviously, they've changed the accessibility of how it easier it is for you to go and purchase a knife and things like that. There's some amazing people in the community that are, like, doing different schemes where you can have, like, like gangs and people that have knives can handle them in, and the police that are coming up with schemes as to how you can get these knives off the streets. I think one thing that has stuck with me, by talking about it and sharing my experience,

hopefully it can make somebody who's thinking about getting a knife or thinking about protecting himself with a knife or anything like that, hopefully it can make them go, well, I don't want to feel like that. So by talking about it, that exposure right there, yes. That's a game changer. It really is. You know, there's one guy I know called Gideon, who he came into my radio show.

I was a young person that had won an award. And he was stabbed. And the knife was 0.3 millimeters away from his heart. And he now goes around public speaking and talking about it. And I'm like, you're a prime example of a young person that needs to be talking about this and sharing your experience. So that hopefully the next person isn't one of those statistics. Yes.

Yes, absolutely. And you, to this day, you still carry those memories. And you just mention that you'll still, you'll all forever have. Yeah, without a doubt. But also, if that hadn't have happened, I wouldn't be sat here with you right now. There's no way about it how I would be sat here with you right now. Because I went through like two years of pain, which led into some of the best accomplishments and achievements and achievements of my life. off the back of that, off the back of feeling like that.

Yes, yes. All right, so I want to talk about this. But one area that I think we have to talk about, and it's interesting because when you came in, you talked about Jordan Stevens book and how brilliant it was, right? Absolutely brilliant book. When I think back, because he was a guest here,

I think back, I had such an incredible conversation. We talked about so many things. And when we have a guest come, we'll clip up different pieces of the interview and we'll put him out. there's one clip from Jordan Stevens interview that is one of the most viral clips out of all of the guests that we've had.

And you know what the clip is? You could probably guess what the clip is and what he's talking about. And one about when he's doing about Grand Prix race. Yeah. Exactly. Think about that.

Right. So he was expressing how he didn't feel black enough in certain circles, in certain circles, didn't feel white enough. maybe in certain circles, didn't know how he fit into society.

There are an endless number of comments, good, bad, and ugly. Yeah. Right. So enter this one with caution. But what was your experience? And the reason why I think Jordan I went down that road was because in the States,

and this was my experience in the States, because not everyone went through this experience, is that there was a court case called Plessy v. Ferguson in the United States many, many, many, many years ago that stated if you had quote unquote one drop, I think it equated to one eighth or one-16th drop of black blood. Yeah. You were black. Yeah. So for the longest, it wasn't a mixed race category. It was, no, you're black, right? So if we grew up together in New York, it would be, no, you're black.

regardless of your lived experience. It's just, you're black, your father's black, okay, you're black. But when I got here, I'll never forget, I was on celebs go dating. Yeah. It could be my first week. Okay.

And there was a gentleman. Won't give his name, but he was one of the celebs, and I said, I asked a question of, okay, so who do you want us to set you up with? Now, in the States, race and ethnicity would typically be like in the top three things that people would outline. But maybe it was because it was a TV show or maybe because he was just trying to be politically correct. He didn't give me a race or ethnicity.

Right. So I said, well, would you like to date someone black or not? And he asked me, well, why did I immediately jump to black? I said, because you're black. He said, no, no, I'm not black. I'm mixed race. Okay, right. I went home, I was so confused, right?

I went to my wife, I was like, this guy doesn't know he's black. This guy does not feel good. But then I was really schooled on the category of mixed race. Yeah. So I say all of that because I'm so curious about this in the UK. Yeah. What has been your lived experience? I think the surroundings that you're in,

really affect how you feel about yourself. I was in a very similar sense to Jordan. Yeah, you'd have my black friends going, oh, you're mixed race, you don't understand. Yeah, you don't get it. You'll never understand. So then you're, I'm being pushed away from that side. And then all of a sudden, I'm on my walk to school,

and people are sharing the M word at me. And people are saying, go back to Africa. I'm like, first of all right, I'm Jamaican. Yeah, okay, we'll go with that. But still, it's like you're caught in this limbo between a rock and a hard place. And I just think that the one thing, and I spoke out about this as well.

And I had a comment under one of the videos and it was like, oh, bad parenting, not knowing who you are. And I'm like, I understand that. I've had phenomenal parenting. It's actually the world that we're in that makes it such a confusing place to navigate. But I never ever want my kids to grow up, not knowing who they are

or being unsure of who they are. Do you see what I'm saying? Yes. I don't want. want them to go through that pain of questioning their identity. Like I had to, because I was there. I was like, I was torn. I was like, do I go on my white friends?

Do I go on my black friends? Like, they weren't getting on in the playground. I was like, so I'm sort of in between floating and I don't really have a home. So, and I'm not trying to sit there and plead like, oh, I've had it tougher or anything like that because it's just, it's just one of those things. I was always going to take offense from both, both angles. I was always going to take offense from both angles. people, you know, saying stuff towards me or hateful comments.

Yes. So this is interesting. So do you, let's say there's a literal checkbox. And I see also I find it interesting. There's like a million options in the UK. Yeah. I don't understand that. I don't understand what we're doing there with those checkboxes yet

because I promise you now, that's why the forms take so long. That's why they take so long. Yes. I just take Caribbean. Which anything that says Caribbean. All right. I like it. I like it.

J.A. all the way. So eventually you find your voice, right? I'm curious as to what do you believe was that moment, that inflection point where you went from reserved, could I say introverted? Yeah, very, very introverted to I found my voice. It was when I was, so in the process of me trying to overcome, like get back outside basically, because I was just, I was in my room. I was watching Indiana Jones movies. I was obsessed with movies, right?

I loved them. Like every Will Smith movie I've seen, every Martin Lawrence film, it was like the thing I would do. I would come home from school and I would just sit there and watch movies with a cup of tea and rich tea biscuits. And other biscuits available, by the way.

But in that process of me trying to get out in my bedroom again, I was big into sport when I was younger. I used to play basketball, right? Okay. At school. And my school was a sports college. And then I started going back in

and I started playing this new sport called handball. And I was like, it's kind of like basketball. It's like football with your hands. And also the book, because I was quite like tall and skinny, I was like, my hands were quite big. And the size of the ball we'd play with is like a miniature football. And I could grab the ball like that and I could just dash it in the goal.

And I was like, is that it? I was like, that's easy. And then all of a sudden, like, my school started like really adopting. It became like a South East training academy. And I got into the South East England team. And then I got into the England team. and then I carried on training, training, training, and I got into the Great Britain squad.

And it was during a training session for the team that CBBC came in to introduce kids to new sports, and Handball was one of them, and CBBC were just coming along for a training session. It was a show called Friday Download. And they were like, oh, who can explain the rules? Who wants to do a little bit on camera? And I was like, nobody else wanted to do it.

I was like, all right, fine. I had a Mahican. And I was there And I was like, I was in my training bag And I was like, look, it's just 30 seconds on camera, sweet. And I did it. And then somebody there said, oh, you're pretty good at chatting on the camera.

You haven't done this before? And I was like, no. Like, I've never, ever imagined, like, being on telly. And then after that, they contacted my mom. My mom took the details. And they contacted my mom and said, oh, hey, does Tyler want to do a guest presentation slot? Like, we're going to send him to go learn how to do trampolina

with the GV trampolining team up in Northampton and then I did my first ever I remember going to Debenhams right and I had to go and get a makeup color uh match in in store because the team didn't know at that time they didn't know what skin color I hadn't like how to match it it was really anyway so they gave us a budget for that I'm I've got the makeup done in store and we've gone up to Northampton and um I've done this like it's literally like a two minute VT for a CBBC show, right? And it was during that moment they're filming that.

Once we wrapped on set, I was like, mum, I want to do this for the rest of my life. And she was like, whoa, like, that's sick. And also, when I got that call to do the guest presentation slot, I was like, mom, pack your bags were going to Hollywood.

Like, I was like, this is how bad. I was like, Will Smith? I'm watching the TV. I'm watching the films. I'm like, yeah, I can do the fresh prints. Yeah, sweet. Yeah, let me jump into that. But that was it.

That was my first introduction to CBBC. That was like children's television. and something that I've loved and grown up watching. And it was the sport aspect of it that sort of, I had a really hard decision to do at the end of my A levels, right? It was either go to uni and study digital television production. It was either go to, I was still playing handball

and they were like, this Danish team offered me a contract out there. Oh, well. But it wasn't, it was like lower league. And it was just like, so I could barely survive on the wage that they were paying. me accommodation and whatnot and I'll just train over there or um stay working at McDonald's and take a gap here and try and break into television and out of those three options what do you think it went for mickey d's the double cheese burgers yeah oh yeah was it in sutton

the mickey d d's yeah yeah oh not the one on the high street but the one up the uh the 817 okay yeah yeah i know that one yeah i drive by it drive through yeah that's what's actually every time uh we go to sutton yeah to watch my son is like, stop there. There you go. Yeah. All right. So now, I have to ask,

you had no training as a TV presenter. No. Right. So you go in, they ask you to do this thing. What was it that happened in that moment that made you feel like this is it? And this is such an important question, I think, to so many people, because that was a true inflection point in your life. Yeah.

And so many of us are trying to figure out, what are we actually passionate? about you found your thing but how did you know it was your thing it was so far outside of my conference zone I promise you that I'll show you once we wrap here today I'll show you a snippet of it and when I when I look back I can answer that question for you I'm like that was dreadful Tyler that was the worst bit of television I've ever seen in my whole entire life but in the moment I loved it I thought wow I wonder where this could take me I wonder what the possibilities are if I just like get over this little bit of a fear and I just dive in, like, and just give it my full undivided attention.

Yes. And that was it. That, that fire within me, like, that's never left me. I still, to this day, get shy. I still, to this day, get nervous. I still have all of those feelings and emotions back then from when I first started. But I always think back, like, well, you did that. Like, yeah, you fist bumped the king.

Yeah, you did Charleston on Saturday night television. Yeah, you did those things that you've done a radio show. Like, it's all these, like, little accomplishments. So everybody who says to me, like, what's your end goal? I don't have an end goal It's like a checklist It's like a load of things That I'm like I want to be able to accomplish that in my career

And I will do it Yes, yes Do you still consider yourself an introvert? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do Even though I'm like the loudest in the room And the viabiest and like would always be The last leave the dance world Deep down it's taking me a lot to get to that moment

Yes, yes I mean, you're doing very, very well In your career, very very well And over a short period of time Because let me just let me run down Oh, good. 2015 is when we're talking about kickabout. We'll be hosted that.

You're 19 years old, right? 2017, 21, you become a host at MTV News. 2018, you start your own podcast, everyday hustle, just for the journey of successful entrepreneurs. 2019 is when you join Kiss FM, and then you just announced alongside Chloe Burroughs. Yeah. Which that is going to be a whole lot of fun.

Yeah. Because Chloe's always a whole lot of. It's great, ma'am. As the new host for Kiss FM Breakfast. Yeah. Right, which is big. This is, if you think about this, so this is 2025, we're saying that you, 20, 2015. So within a 10-year period, there's been quite a lot of success.

But at what point in that line do you feel like you actually, stepped into your true voice. Oh, that's a good question. I think it was probably, it was probably actually like quite recent. Like probably, I'm talking after Strictly come dancing. It was probably after Strictly. That was like, what, 2022?

So only for the last three years do I feel like I've been absolutely everywhere that I can walk and look. I'm fully like, That's my voice. That's me going through. That's my opinion. That's my creativity. Okay.

I do think to a degree, and I'm looking back at my career, is that I do think that I was largely showing up the way people told me to show up early in my career. Like I always talk about how I was forced to wear suits early in my career on TV. It was one of those things that why were Tyler, literally this year is almost over. This is 2025, right? I have successfully gone through this year without wearing one suit. See that win now?

So that is big, man. Congratulations. Thank you. If that's what you're taking away from this year, that's the... This is my big thing. And I'll tell you the reason why is because I will never forget

the first time I ever was on a television show. They said, they said, Paul, here's the fact of the matter is that, you really don't look like an expert. So you have if you wear a suit Wow people will actually listen to So they it was one of those where I thought

Okay I have to wear a suit So I would just wear suits because that's what they told me to wear So I was showing up How I felt like I was told to show up I'm not saying this is your experience But I feel like this is often the experience of so many people TV early on What was your experience like earlier?

I was trying to look like the person that I thought people might want me to be. You got to remember, growing up watching telly, there was not a lot of people that looked like me and sound like me

that I could look up to. There was people like, from back in the day, I'm talking, Lenny Henry. Yes. Yeah. Legends like that I would glorify.

I would be like, oh my day's like I just need to be like them. But then the problem that I found is is when I started doing this kind of work, that'd be like, oh no, yeah, but you're like Reggie Yates. And they'll be putting us in the same category.

Like we're now becoming one person. And I'm going, right, okay, so I actually have no choice but to be my whole authentic self. You know, the Tyler that would watch Indiana Jones movies and has a torch collection back at home. The Tyler that loves food, yeah, loves chicken nuggets, loves wings and loves to go out and be the last on the dance floor. All of those things make me who I am.

And when you lean into that rather than sort of going, oh, no, but that's not really what the professionals say that we should be doing. The whole point, when I start doing that, that's when the whole thing becomes way more enjoyable. And you start doing things that you're like, oh, this feels great. Like, I want to be doing this for the rest of my life.

Not, oh, I've started talking in a very funny accent and now I've got to keep it up for the whole of my career. I'm not doing that. I can't change how I'm made up. Mom, dad, brother, incredibly proud. Yeah, yeah. It is. And Nan as well, you know.

Yes, yes, facts. Always. I'm incredibly grateful right now for the One Better Guide by our sponsor, Adobe Express, for helping me to elevate one of the most important moments of the year for me, and that is the Amber Rising Campaign at Sutton United. Amber Rising is a campaign I started last year to help increase the number of people attending football matches who had never been before. It was such a great day.

There were so many incredible moments that we captured lots of content. Now, I want to share with you a clip. It's one of my favorites of the day. It's a mother with her two kids. big but actually enjoy it as much. I thought she'd be born to wear. Now, the audio wasn't great on that clip, but that's where the one better guide comes in.

I couldn't help but recall a lesson from Lucy Warner about refining the small details so that your audience feels cared for. So I open Adobe Express, drop the clip in, click enhanced speech, and it lifts her voice to a place where it's crystal clear. It's big but actually enjoy it as much. I thought it's homobeyed be foreign to it.

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the year. But I got to say, I really appreciate their products the most in December. It's one less thing to think about. Now, I switch between the two, the Hewl Black Edition ready to drink when I want to feel fuller, and then the Hewle Light ready to drink when I need something a bit lighter. Black Edition has 35 grams of protein, 26 vitamins and minerals, and it's high in fiber. Similarly, light has 26 vitamins and minerals, 25 grams of protein, and it's only 190 calories. If you to Hewle and want 10 pounds off your first purchase over 60 pounds. Use my code WNTT at huel.com slash WNTT. Off camera, you know what they're saying?

They're saying that I don't eat. This is the only thing that I consume. And without this, I would not be able to do this podcast. So Heel, truly, thank you. We all have that dream trip. We've been wishing we could go on. But too often, life or usually price gets in the way. That's why Priceline is here to help you turn your

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That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. If you've made it this far, I know you're loving the conversation. So please do me one small favor. Hit that bell icon, join our community. All right. So thinking about the career, though, is, Would you say that Strictly was the biggest moment, maybe prior to the current, but when you say Strictly was kind of the biggest moment of your career professionally? At the time, yeah.

At the time. All right, all right. There's only two people who have not heard of Strictly. Yeah, yeah. Right, in the world. But how would you describe it? And is that a project that you've always wanted to be a part of? I would describe strictly as a beast.

It is a beast in every aspect. And it put me on the map in terms of like getting into households and being able to connect with a bigger audience, which I love. I love being able to even make someone laugh, make someone smile or listen out for their story or showcase another story. I love it.

So it was the biggest blessing in that way. But then also, I'd say the worst, because it has you on such a high that they don't warn you about. And I know, we watch it and we're like, oh, strictly, of course, it'll be a dream to do that and everything. You have all these conversations about it. But when you're there and you're in it,

you genuinely, it does become a world. It becomes like a separate world. You do feel like, I'm on cloud nine. Yeah, this is it. This is the peak. And everything's a lot deeper. Everything's a lot harder to process. And the pressure is on.

And then all of a sudden it's just gone. Yes. And nobody talks about like the after bit. Like, and what that's like. And then you, because one of the most nerve-wracking things, bearing of mind coming from me, like growing up and I didn't really have a voice and everything like that, one of the most nerve-wracking things is going out and dancing in front of millions of people live on a Saturday night. Bear in mind, I'm not a professional

dancer. That is, that's scary. That is, and that's like squeaky bum time, man. That's, that's, that's being nervous. But once you've accomplished that, your confidence and how you felt, how I felt coming from the back of street. I was like, oh, I'm flying right now. this is it. And then you then start looking at your life and go, well, how can I feel that again? Yes. And that's the difficult part about it.

Yes. Coming off the back of the show, I think I had a different experience to anybody else that's ever done it. Because I've met love and my life. Do you know what I mean? And also, so it was kind of like we were there for each other. And my work never stopped during the show. Everybody goes, like some people, when you get given the opportunity to go on strictly,

some people just like, oh yeah, I'm going to stop work. I'm just going to focus on dance. Whereas I was like, back to the old days when I was doing, you know, working as a support worker and working on CBBC, I was doing multiple jobs still. I was still, I was getting up, I was going to rehearsals from like eight till two, and then I would go across to Kiss, three till seven, and then I'd go back in the evenings, eight till ten, and that was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then all of a sudden stay up near the Elstree studios, did the tech run on the Friday,

do my radio show from there, then still do the show on Saturday, and then feet and ice on Sunday. And you would just make it work. And I think that for me, because I always knew that this is going to come to an end at some point, even though I'm feeling like, great like this, I'm like, I'm thinking about the next step. I'm always thinking about the future. I'm always like trying to make sure everybody's safe. Yes.

Especially myself. That sort of helped me in coming out of the show in that process. I love that. I love that. Like you took advantage of the moment. When people say, took advantage of the moment, it's like, no, no, you leveraged, you leveraged the moment and then they help you to get so many other moments. There's something I want to show you.

Oh God, given the, give him the bell set. What, you know what? You're like Mary Poppins on this share. You just keep, every single time Paul moves his cushion, he brings out something else. I'm like, how far is it going down? I have so many things in these cushions. This, my friend. Oh, wow, yeah. I believe happened during strictly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You could describe. So that's, um, that's me, my brother and my dad at my brother's wedding in in Mauritius right yeah that was uh that was really special about Alcabida and you so you're training for strictly you fly out how many miles I can't tell you it's Mauritius yeah it's Mauritius it's far it's like uh it's a good it's over like 11 hours 11 hours right and then you're back I do I do I do my brother down the aisle um I do this the ceremony with him I was there for three three hours and then I got back on the to come home just so that I could be there.

Yeah. Look at that. Now, celebrity race across the world. Yeah. It's a show that you could sit down with your entire family, sit around, be inspired at any age. And the numbers are just, I had no idea how big the show was.

So, in the week, this is this past month, no, last month. The week of the 17th through the 23rd alone, the show hit 5.4 8 million viewers. It's crazy.

One of the most watched shows in Britain. It's like, incredible. Yeah. It's incredible. How do you describe that show? That show is a one, a genuine once in a lifetime experience. If you even think about it, like, say, for example, they do another series and they try to go back and do the same route from Mexico through to Columbia, it's still going to be different.

Do you know what I mean? It's completely different every single time. And it's so bespoke that, um, you just feel again it's like it's almost like that that high that I had on strictly right but I now have it with me in my memories forever because of what it was like being on it because you're you're traveling to some untouched places you're off the beaten track you are fully immersing yourself you're disconnecting from the world back at home you don't have your phone you have minimal budget I'm very bad at maths right so that 5.48 million people witnessed me you know

just absolutely not count in the budget at all and doing dreadful with that. We finished with 1% of the budget left. It was like 17 pound. And that was, honestly, we probably wouldn't have made it to the end of the show. I don't know how we did it. But yeah, it was life-changing, man. Life-changing. So you literally only have that budget to spend, truly.

Yeah, you don't get it. Well, I mean, you can do jobs along the way to try and earn a bit more money to, like, boost it up a little bit. But, I mean, we're talking like minimum wage jobs. minimum wage. You've got a budget here and, you know, it was, we learned a lot about ourselves throughout that show,

but it was the best experience. Like the best experience. Traveling like that and seeing a part of the world was, yeah. Was just beautiful. So it was, what, Mexico?

Through to Columbia. To Columbia. All right. Had you ever visited Mexico, Columbia? No, I think, actually, I'd been by Cancun once.

But that was like, yeah, that was ages ago. But I'd never, I'd never ever thought about me, backpacking, wildlife. We don't do well. I'm not an outdoorsy type of person or anything like that. I can't. Like, I'm petrified of insects.

Like, I don't do it. Whereas, yeah, Mexico through to Colombia, I mean, it's always one of those parts of the world that you would love to travel to. Yes. But you think, oh, so far, I can't do that. No, I can't get the time off. And then some people say it's dangerous. I mean, Medellin is where, I mean. That was one of my favorite places.

Really? Yeah, one of my favorite places. There's a place called Cartagena. We did a confedche dance class and it was, it was amazing. Like it was just, it was so good. And then there was the Gunayala Islands in Panama. And as we're traveling through, we got off on this island and it's like, there's nobody else that's been here. And we're with like an indigenous family, like, and they're serving up going fishing and cooking up on a fire.

That's, you don't, you don't do that. You don't get to experience that, you know? No, no. What is the, from a production standpoint, who is with you? Is it? We've got a team. We've got a team. Every pair has a team, but there's different people throughout the show that just pop up and fill in different spots.

Logistically, it's a nightmare because me and Molly was on it with our map. And if we say, we're going in that direction, the crew that, any crew does with us, no, yeah, that's the wrong way. And they just have to go with it. They have to go. They have to go with it. Like, we stayed in like this $5 sex motel. one time. And it was so funny.

Like our producer, director Sam, he's just coming into film, like, the end of day interviews. And these people are just watching us going to this $5 sex motel room. And Sam's just coming in with this big TV camera and me and Molly. And we're like, guys, this doesn't look great. This doesn't look great from the BBC.

Oh, my God. Yeah, it's incredible. I love that, though, that they're giving you no guidance whatsoever. No. There's not even a wink, like you're going in the wrong direction. It's got to fly.

That's it. How competitive did you get? oh god yeah it caught up with us I've always had the competitive nature from young from playing basketball playing handball and I was all at any sort of competition I get into I'm like yeah we need to show up but I'm more of a team player which is good

so obviously it's good that I was in a parent and not just on my own and Molly is 10 million times more competitive than me so it was like so having that balance of us both like we was like yeah it was like the A team Like we were ready to go. Like every given moment.

If we're running, we're sprinting. Like, we don't care. We've got to get that sort of thing. Love it. Love it. What do you believe was the most challenging moment for you? The most challenging moment on that show. There was a moment that wasn't, it wasn't shown.

Because obviously, you got to remember so many days that I've provided down into one episode. And there was one border crossing we went for it. It was particularly tough. it was quite rural and it was a there was a lot of um it was almost like the town had had a party but the town obviously for the local people they had like the gun shop right there they had um machetes like everywhere and everybody was kind of like couldn't take us like they couldn't drive us anyway so we had to you know get to safety um because it just it looked a bit shady but it was in that moment there where i felt so out of control and out of

my depth, trying to protect Molly, trying to think about, like, right, cool, we've got to make the decision to get out of here, like, where are we going to go to? And it made me panic because it made me go back to when I was like 14. Do you see what I'm saying? Like, mentally in my head, I was like, there's knives around me. At this, I don't feel safe right now. But then also, I'm in a new environment that I can't control. Whereas back in London, I know that if we're out in the street and trouble kicks off, like, I know where we can go to get to safety. I know what to do. I know what we need to, how we should handle this situation, you know? But yeah, over there, That was one of the most, like, toughest, toughest points.

But aside from that, I mean, navigating it, like, mentally, just thinking about where you're going to eat, where you're going to stay, how are you going to get there? That's like, it's a lot, but we rely so heavily on our phones over here. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You look at how we are dependent. It's an appendage, our phones.

So you end up finishing second. Yeah. All right. You proud of that? Yeah. Oh, no, no, no. I'm never going to be a sore loser. Is Miley proud of that?

Yeah, no, we both are. And, well, in the moment, it was so tough because you got to remember, we've been racing for six weeks to get to this point. And, like, Roman and Ali, they're just, they're the best people. We wouldn't have, like,

honestly, couldn't have had, like, a better, like, last final stretch of that race, you know? When we got up to the finish line, it was, it was really weird because we was literally, it was like a two-horse race right to the finish.

Yeah, it was like a foot race. And we, they, gone up there and we could have all just put our hands on the book at the same time but then we was like you know what they're they're literally like just there like Harley was then coming up behind me and i was like let's just leave it and me and molly had our moment there and there was a really special moment where like roman harley are celebrating and the camera's on them and then it pulls focus and it goes through and it's me and molly like hugging in the background and like supporting one other and it was just like i'll never forget that like that's where i feel like we

tapped into a different kind of love. Really? Yeah, on that moment, I'll never, never, ever forget that. It was really special. How would you describe that new love that you've tapped into? Oh, gosh. Just the, the, the best feeling in the whole entire. Like, I almost thought it was unattainable. It's like that level.

Wow. Yeah, new level unlocked. To go through that experience with someone that you love must make it a different type of experience. Yeah, because a lot of people would say, oh, I can never go through it. threw that with my partner. What? 24 hours a day for six weeks. But let me tell you, Paul, there was some moments on that show where, you know, I'm only, it'll kill me for saying this,

but we was like, we had food poisoning at one point, right? And we, um, let's just say, an accident happened, right? And I've, and she's just like, started crying and looking at me. And then, and then also, I'm then, like, throwing up and, you know, we're yo-yoing from the same toilet, right? And it was like, we just looked at each other and we thought, you can never leave me now. Nobody else to say, I'm going to date me off to this moment right here. Too many things. Oh, yeah. We're like, but I prefer it like that. Like, she's my best friend. Like, there's all levels of feeling comfortable there. It's my safest space on earth. Yes, yes. So you experienced the lows, then also highs. You have the highs with it. I have a moment that I want to show you right here.

You know I've got things. Mm. This is over, man. Tell me about this moment. Oh, yeah. What was going on in that photo? This was lit. So this was, we had traveled to Costa Rica. So this actually wasn't shown, right?

Okay. So this was my birthday. I had my birthday whilst I was away on the show. And there was so much to include from all the episodes. It was just one of the things that got cut. And we worked at a nightclub in Costa Rica, right? And I'll never forget the production, like, calling us up and saying, hey, listen, guys, you need to finish that job now.

that you're doing and go because we've got a TV show to fill, because we were having such a great time. They did like a bottle service, gave us like a little cake in the club, but that was, that's a birthday, I can never forget. That's what I say, yeah, it's like, that's the memory. It's like, yeah, the memories, it's incredible.

Don't get me wrong, we was massively underdressed. Like, I would never turn up to a club like that. But yeah, it was, and we stunk, and we were dirty, we were filthy, but either way, it was just like, we just didn't care. Yes, yes, I love it. I love it. I'm gonna give that one back to you,

but I love that. All right, so then can we talk about Molly? Yeah. All right. You first met Molly. Was it on Strictly? Yeah, so this is, it's really weird how our lives are sort of intertwined. But the first time I met was the first day that I arrived at El Shrew Studios.

It was like day one of Strictly rehearsals. And she was at the other end of the corridor. I arrived early and she was there early. and she was at the other end of the corridor. And obviously, it got announced. And everybody, the minute that her picture went up, loads of my boys were sending me pictures. Oh, here we go.

Molly's a bit of you. And stuff like, and I'm like, guys, it's professional. Chill out. I'm not doing that. I had some traumatizing relationships in the past. And I was like, I'm not doing it. I'm staying single. I'm focusing on my career.

That's it. I'm me now. The day that I walked into strictly, she was at the other end of the corridor. Yeah, I just said, oh, that's out of the window. It's long. I was like, she's so hot. I was like, that's it.

I was just, yeah, I was obsessed. From moment one. It was like this initial, like feeling, but then I've gone, I was like, I was like sabotaging. I was like, no, surely not. No, we're just here to keep it professional, like, strictly professional and everything like that. And she was in the same mindset as well, which I found out.

But, yeah, the first day we met was the first day that we went to strictly. So we literally did the whole experience side by side. Wow. Okay. So not to. go too far beyond that point, but I have to mention you said you had some traumatizing relationships. So how long had it been since you were in a committed relationship?

Oh, God, it was probably, wait, it was in 2022. I probably spent like the most wholesome year, year and a bit on my own. Because one thing that I've always struggled with from the get-go was this feeling of abandonment. I've always had it. I've always stayed in. things a little too long thinking that I'm this hopeless romantic and it's got to work. I was like, yeah, no, of course, we're arguing it's toxic and, but yeah, no, we've got to say at it because I'm like, you can't leave me because every single moment in my life, it's always come with like a, oh, but they're going to leave in a minute and they're going to leave in a minute. So I would hold on for dear life. And then what I then realize is that I need to be comfortable

in being on my own before I can then be with someone else. And I weren't perfect. And I, I've made mistakes and I've done all those things in the past, but then it's like the growth that I've had and the understanding and clarity that I have now. I'm like, I was so, after that year, when I then met Molly, I was like self-sabotaging. And then my friend Christian, I remember being on the phone to him and he was like, bro, what are you holding back for?

Like, you've just described like your perfect person. You've met, you've met someone that you can't stop smiling when you're talking about. Like, what are you holding back for? Right. But you're just saying this, at least, helps me to understand that you were walking into that scenario saying, I have been traumatized, I have self-sabotage, but you know what, the last year, I'm good. So therefore, let me not

shake anything. From a professional standpoint, you're on the rise as well, so you don't want to maybe exert energy out there so you can stay focused. So you were just locked in, but you saw her, she unlocked your situation quick. So do you remember the first conversation that you had with her. Yeah, it was like, where do we need to go in the corridor? It's like that because we were both lost as anything. But then, I mean, that was like the first sort of interaction, but then there's been so many moments because when you're in the strictly bubble, like, you're staying up there at the hotel and you're like having these conversations. I just remember having deep chats with her out of the middle of nowhere about like our exes and previous relationship and what we've gone for

in our lives and things like that. And I just felt like, right, why does this feel like such a safe space to communicate with you. Like it feels it shouldn't be like this. I'm like, wait, what's the catch? That's where I was up. All right. So not to break any brocode and not to unleash any secrets, but please, because I think a lot of ladies will want to know this is that you saw Molly, you knew

you were interested in her, but then you have all of these conversations in a very platonic, friendly way. Yeah, with her. In your mind, were you thinking it's only a matter of time before this becomes a thing like is this a plot are you being methodical because because

like am I leading her exactly because so many people say well men are basic yeah they just they don't have any strategy people say women are all about strategy I plotted on my wife

for a year like a year like I was like I'm gonna play this friend thing as long as I need so I was very much So what was your approach? Well, I mean, I've got a lot of friends in my life. I weren't really looking for another friend.

It was like, I think when we first started having those deeper chats, I think a big thing for me was eye contact. I was like, she was locked in. And I was like, wow, this is like, I'm just listening. And then I'm like, not even hearing what she's saying. And then I'm like going back to it. And I'm like, this is incredible. But yeah, I think deep down, there was always me sitting down and going this.

I knew. and we've always spoke about it. We knew that we could be together. But because of the environment that we was in, we were both sort of like, whoa, let's not do this now. Let's not be just another headline attached to this show.

And yeah, that was the best decision I ever made. So what do you do next? It was like straight up. Molly said to me, so it was like one of our first interactions. I got the first tens of the series, right? So we was up there in Claude. his area and then Molly comes up to me and goes,

oh, congratulations on your 10, like that. And I'm like, this is so cringy. In my mind, this was so cooler at the time, yeah. And I go, I'm looking at 10 right now. And then, and then, and then, I've walked, I've walked away, like the cameras have then cut to the next person dancing, I've walked away behind like the little curtain thing. And I've just had a word myself, I was like,

what did you just say? Whoa, was that you? Like, I was, I was gassing myself up. I was so, I was so happy. And then Molly, this is typical different way of thinking, right, and how she's perceived it. And then that was that there, but we still kept it professional and we still did not have anything,

like romantically until the beginning of the tour. And then the tour, it was just like, yeah. It happened. So then do you fall into the strictly, quote, quote, curse? No way. But the press, though, I would imagine. and coming off of such a big show, one of the biggest in the UK,

and that's where you meant. You're now forever attached to that. But then the press, and I see it happens. You know, it's so unfortunate because we know at the end of the day the whole notion, if it bleeds, it leads. Right? So if it creates controversy,

people want to click into it, people want to see it. You two are both public figures. But you think about, the press. Do you feel like you ever read those articles and it impacts you?

No. It never does. Does it ever impact Molly? I think it has done for both of us in certain parts. As long as you know what's real at home, then who cares about the noise? Yeah, there you go. Who cares about the noise? And I would imagine that

Molly provides for you a, not only a safe space, but she's in the industry so she can help you to navigate different issues. She can provide inspiration as well. You know, I think that when I think about like the relationship I have with my wife is, and I'll just use yesterday, for example, oh my God, yesterday was a very challenging day for me, professionally.

Lots of different things happening. And I remember going back home, got home late, and I always eat dinner with me. my family. That was that's we have certain rules, certain rituals. One is that we always try to eat dinner and I got home super late like 11 p.m. But the boys are waiting for me right. That's really sweet. So so so we all eat dinner. Uh, we get ready for bed, get into the bed. I remember just holding my wife's hand saying what would I, how could I survive without you? You know, how can I get through this moment without this? And holding her hand, help to just regulate me, just calm me down.

So now I can go about my day. Yeah. I think what would I have been able to do without this, especially, you know, in this industry? What you see is what you get with us. And yeah, it's not a perfect relationship. People have arguments and people fall out, but it's like at the end of it, and I always say to,

I'm like, I love you so much. And when you say that and you mean it, it doesn't matter what goes on in between. Like you will care for each other. you will protect each other's hearts and that's it absolutely absolutely you know i have another surprise for you oh go ready for this all right okay i'm afraid i want you to take a look at this hello tyler west i just wanted to tell you how much i love you and how happy you make me every single day you are literally the most thoughtful person the most caring person i've ever known

and you just light up every room you go into, especially with your massive smile that I love so much. Just blurry, is it? I just wanted to say quickly, how proud I am of you for continuing to just push through day in and day out and still manage to bring joy to everyone around you, even when I know you're burnt out and tired, and I'm so proud for your new venture.

And, yeah, I just love you so much. And I am very, very lucky to call you my fiancé. Love you, Ty. Oh, man. Right, you don't reload it. Damn it. Yeah, that's beautiful. Do you know what?

To have someone talk like that about you is a really special thing and I think it's something that I've craved for out my life but I had to sort of be okay again like be okay with myself before I open myself up to a relationship like that but I couldn't have asked for anything more from her really good mom you know I could see how much that you need Molly and you need your brother you need these people and the reason why I say that is because I've noticed this comment, this correlation between what Molly just said and what your brother wrote in the letter is they both acknowledge that you deal with a lot and they know the weight that you carry. And it seems like you are close enough with them. You feel safe enough with them

to unload so they know that weight. And it's so important for us to have a place that we can go to where we feel safe enough to unload the weight. Yeah. You know, and I can see that they are there for you. They're that outlet for you. And that's so important. We all need it, but you're blessed to have it. Yeah. Yeah, I really am, man. I count my lucky stars.

That's, that's, I couldn't have asked for anything any more than that. This is what I often say is that the true measure of a great partnership of love is safety. Yeah. That's it. I think it's that, it's black and white, it's cut and dry, right? It is, do you feel safe emotionally and physically with your partner? The answer is no. Bounce.

Bounce. Yeah, I'd be doing that. Yeah. No way. So then, and I see there's quite a large number of nonprofit organizations that you're involved in. And the through line that I see with all of them is it's about mental health. I look at it. I mean, you talked about running the marathon. Was that for UK youth?

Yeah. You became an ambassador for water aid. You led a fundraising event for cash for kids. Yeah. You're an ambassador at the King's Trust. Yeah. You know. So the through line to a lot of the work that I see you doing, and I didn't even realize you talked about after McDonald's, you were working in the community.

Yeah. Yeah, I was a support worker. Support worker, yeah. This is about to me mental health. From your lived experience, what advice do you have for those who are struggling and want to be able to open up? I think it's like, it's the mistake that I made, right? When I went for all those traumatic things when I was younger, I just kept burying it under the carpet. And you bury it and bury it and bear it so tall, but then it becomes unavoidable.

And then it comes out in so many different ways. It can come out and, you know, you can just be angry all the time. You can be, you know, go into some really dark places in your mind. You can be, you know, not nice to be around and you can fail at your work. And there's so much, like, a trickle effect that can come after it. Whereas if you sit there and open up about it and talk about it, you might, I might, I might, might confess my world to you, Paul, yeah, and you might not know the correct answer to give to solve my situation. But in and amongst me just talking about it, it triggers something

within me that goes, ah, okay, that doesn't feel so heavy now. Yes. Loads of little, like, micromanaging, like, moments of that can build up to make you feel so at ease. And it can, and then, and then, and then, before you know it, you might, somebody might say to you, oh, how are you? And you're like, oh, yeah, not bad. Everybody always. always says not bad, not bad, but if you actually just explain how you're feeling, they might say one thing within that and you're going, I haven't thought about that. I mean, that's the whole point of why I've always gone, when I've gone to therapy, like, wow, it's changed my life.

Yes. Because it's, and okay, if you don't want to burden, you know, your partner or someone else, then reach out to some of these services because that's what they're there for. And I didn't understand that when I was growing up. I thought, oh, okay, well, I don't know why I'm here chatting to this stranger. It's not going to help me. but you reaching out and sometimes talking to a stranger is better because then that person whoever's in your life that usually goes to you don't need their opinion on it has that

coming from it one-sided right absolutely i've seen the research show that uh in traumatic events uh especially if i think it was a research around sexual assault right uh that most people will open up to a stranger well before they'll open up to any loved one anyone in their social circle because it's someone that they perceive will not place any judgment on them. And ultimately, that's what we're looking for. We're looking for people who are not judging us. So to your point of, if you just open up, it's to a loved one to a stranger, ideally what you're looking for is you're looking for someone not to place the blame,

but by you just mentioning something, it will connect with the something that they've gone through. And that, those two little things could put your mind at ease. That's it. You know, and talking really is everything. Yeah. And I always say like attack your fears daily. I always say I was like just do something to step outside of your comfort zone because that's the only time you ever grow.

Yes. When you're outside. Like even and it sounds stupid like bearing in mind I was a massive introvert and I just would be so shy at talking to people. Even now like going up and saying someone, hey, I like your trainers. Like that's it. You've made their day and you've had that little one second interaction. Yes.

Game changer. Full on the game changer. Yeah. You know what I say? I was telling someone that I forgot who I was talking to. It's probably on one of these shows. I was like, tell people the truth. So if it's something that you like about what they have on

or what they're doing, just tell them the truth. Like when you said to, I was like, I love the color palette. Yeah. I just do. Like, I love it. It's perfect. It's actually your color palette. It truly is, by the way, I'm a color theme.

This is it. It is perfect. Collection available scenes. Yeah. So don't be, Dodge. Right here. We will provide a link to the Tyler West collection right there. But it is, it's just tell people the truth.

Yeah. You know, and if the truth is going to be unkind, keep it to yourself. It's that simple. There's a last photo I have for you. Right. Okay. Now, this is a photo that I have, you're the only person that I've ever seen do this to this person. So I need to understand.

Yeah, that seems a little. wild. You need to give context out of because I don't know what you're about to pull out on me bro. Come on man. This is, we need to talk and I don't want to talk no more depending on where you're going, but what do you mean, bro?

The only person that I've seen do this to this person yeah is and this is a person that this is rarely done to if ever done to. Show the photo. And you're digging. This sounds weird. And you did it to this person all in front of cameras.

And I was even weird and stranger. What do you mean? Ready for the photo? Yeah. Yes. Oh, Charlie Blay. Yeah, gee, what? You went around the houses to say that.

So yeah, me, um, fist bumping King Charles. Yes. How about that? Look at Anna's face. Yeah, yeah. And that's the girl, Anna, yeah. She's like, look, he's fist bumping him. Yeah.

Yeah. How did this come about? What did this moment mean to you? Oh, I tell you what, like, so I've all, I've been passionate about working with, like, young people for the longest. I'm like, my story, If I can talk to somebody from that looks like me, sounds like me,

like has had the same sort of upbringing, then maybe they might pick a different route. And that's what it was. I was working as a support worker since the youngest, like 18. And then the King's Trust, like charity, which was the Prince's Trust at the time, said, like, oh, do you want to do some work with young people and things like that?

And I became an ambassador for them. And then all of a sudden, me and Anna were actually hosting one of the events, one year, right? And it was at the Jewry Lane Theatre. And all of a sudden they're like, oh yeah, the king's coming. Like, you're going to meet him. Like, this is it. So you guys stand here and we'll be back in a minute to come and brief you.

All of a sudden, I'm from South London Council State, right? The king has walked in with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Yeah. They didn't mean name dropping because I didn't know who Andrew Lloyd Webber was. But either way, he's walked in and then we haven't been given the brief. So then Anna's like doing like little. Kurtz and he like that. And I've forgotten where I am for a second.

And I've gone, I've gone to go like that, right? And it's almost been like this weird cap. You know when somebody, when you try fist bump someone and then they like go to like shake your hand and it's like a cabbage situation that's going on? Yes. That happened. And then before you know it, we've kind of done like that. We're reaction.

I was like, oh, fine. We'll just, we'll just fist bump. And then before you knew it, every year, they do this thing where all the ambassadors get together and you get to meet the king at Buckingham, Palestine. He comes around and says, thank you for you. your work and things like that. And then all of a sudden, like, three years on the truck now, we've got a handshake. It's like up, down, boom, boom, like we're there.

You got a private handshake with the king. Yeah. And he was saying that he was going to come down to Brixton Market and try some jerk chicken. Really? He was saying that. I'm still holding him to it. I said, I was the coronation case. She was like, oh, no.

And I was like, oh, about planting and jerk chicken? He was like, yeah, great. Look at that. Imagine, that's a cool photo. Yeah. That's a really cool photo. That's a cruel. So there is a official protocol.

And there is one or not. I think so, but I don't know. I'm the worst person to ask, but if you've got to meet him, just, yeah. Just keep it formal, maybe. Just keep it formal, maybe. Just, don't cabbage it though. Don't.

We don't cabbage it. Oh, my gosh. Don't, don't, don't. Okay, okay. It was strange, strange interaction. But who would have thought, like, from where I started, I would ever end up in Buckingham Palace?

Look at that. That's mad. Look at that. And you're, You're just at the beginning. I am as well. Like this is just first quarter, like first chapter, second chapter maybe of a 24 chapter book.

Yeah. You know, there's so much more that you have to do. So when you reflect back, though, throughout everything that you have gone through in life, can you pinpoint a proudest moment? Proudest moment, one of them was when I first got my show and kiss. because that was the first time i was like mom i'm going to be able to support you i'm going to be i've always always always always supported my mom i was like you've given me everything i'm like i'm

going to be able to support you now we we don't have to be in debt no more and i worked every hour under the sun to make sure that i can be be supportive and that was that was a real big moment um but also i guess one of my proudest moments was actually last night before we was here watching the the race across the world final like and i'm there and i'm there and i'm there and i'm there and i I consider where my life is now. All the things I've got in my life, I once would always just think, oh, that's endgame. The minute that I found the love of my life, the minute that I've moved out, the minute that I've had like a consistent job that I'm happy with and things like that. And I've, you know, bulked up because I was like really like short of that.

And then I was tall and skinny. I was like, I want to bulk up at the gym. I want to be like, I want to have a good friendship circle. Like all of these things were like end game for me. And now I'm here. I'm like, bro, I'm actually really just only at the start. And that's the. beautiful thing about it.

You've got to keep on going. Like, you've got to, if you've got a dream, then you've got to go further than that. Like, think about something way further than that because I promise you now it would just feel like a checkpoint. There you go. That's beautiful. You're going to marry us, right?

Oh, my goodness. You've been ordained? You know, you don't even need to be ordained. You can just come and say a blessing. Can I say this? I'm glad that we brought this up. So in the US, I have married couples before. No way.

And I don't know what the rules are here. Right. But I would definitely do that. And you've talked about children, I would imagine. Yeah, I mean, like, obviously, that's just something that we would want to then eventually go on and do. We're not like rushing or any way, shape or form, but obviously, where we've then got engaged, we're like, well, that is naturally, you get married and then, you know, you're going

to build a family at some point. But it's all got to, like, just fit in with work and careers and goals and things, you know? Can I ask you a question? This isn't to try to prolong you being here, but I have to ask this. This is interesting. So you and Molly, age-wise, you both are. So I'm 29. She's 25.

Right. So not 30. Okay. Not yet 30. Yeah. You are part of, I would say, you are, well, you're Gen Z. Gen Z, early, late millennial. Yeah.

All right. You just said, you were like, hey, Paul. The process is you get engaged. you get married you have kids yeah that's that's our process yeah that's that's what I'm saying that's our process yeah I'm saying because that's not the atypical process right now

in that generation it's interesting that you have that philosophy why is that I think it's when when you haven't when you've been when you've been when you've room through the trenches with this stuff when it comes to relationships some people lose hope when it comes to relationships right

and I think yeah so in my head I've gone well if I've got that person then of course I'm going to do the whole the big package. Of course I'm going to go and get engaged and get married and have kids because I'm like, because I just want to express my love and also continue pushing that to its limit. Like you wouldn't want to, you know, you wouldn't want to go into a restaurant and just have a start when you know that the main dessert and the main and the dessert are great, right?

Yes. Now, I just wouldn't want to do that. I was like, well, of course it's endgame and you can do all those things. But again, other people, they put themselves under so much pressure and they're like, oh, we're going to need to have kids or oh, we're going to need to sit down do this stuff no you don't you don't have to just because somebody's doing it yes but I want to 100% all right love it okay so final question for you mm-hmm think back to all of the conversations that you've had in life which one stands out to you as the most memorable who was it with and what did you learn I was so excited for this question so excited for this moment um so there was there's a few that popped to mind but the one that comes to my mind

You may know him. It's a guy that I met at an event when I was, like, starting out and see BBC. I think I bumped into him at something. And his name's Ruben Christian. Oh, yeah, I know Ruben. Ruben. Yeah, I definitely know Ruben. Ruben used to do, I think he might still do it.

I haven't caught up with him in years. But he did a, it's called, like, Dream Rehab. Dream rehab, absolutely. Special. Great work he does. And it's working on people with, like, building their confidence. and basically bring their dreams back to life. He's an amazing guy, so funny.

And he said something to me once, and it was like, it doesn't matter about, doesn't matter about how you get there. It's about how willing you are. And he said, he gave me an example, and he said, like, say, for example, your usual route to work is like, you jump on the tube and you come in on the northern line.

Oh, tubes close today. All right, fine, I'm going to get the bus. Oh, the bus is broken down. And it's like, okay, right, cool. Well, then you're going to take your bike. Oh, your bike's got a flat tire. It's like, okay, I'll walk. And it's like, no matter which way you go about things,

there's always a way to do it. It's just about how willing you are. And so when I think about that and I go, I think about everything that's happened throughout my life. And I'm like, okay, cool. I really want to have a good, strong week with, like, my mental health. Oh, no, I've just been triggered. Somebody got involved in a knife fight.

It's like, okay, cool. Take a step back. Take your space. and bounce back from it. And like, it's just every single point throughout my life, there's always been something else or another way I've found it

to just keep on going. I didn't have, I didn't grow up with money. I didn't have solutions. I didn't have access to like, oh, I'm just going to go away in a holiday and just feel freedom over there. I didn't run away.

I couldn't run away. It was like directly in my face. Yes. So by having those experiences and navigating it in that way, it's given me this sort of like foundation where I'm like, all right,

We'll find a way. It'll be okay. We'll keep going. Keep stepping. I love that. I love that. I love that. You got that from Rubin.

Yeah. He has been a very good friend to me and to my family and so insightful and wise. Incredible guy. Yeah. That's beautiful. Yeah. I'll take that. Yeah.

I'm going to share that with my boys. That's it. How willing you are to take out this trash. Yeah. Tonight. There's another way to do it. There is another way. Go out this story.

Tyler, I want to say thank you. It's been a pleasure, man. Thank you. This has been really good. I've been inspired. I've been inspired listening to your journey. I am inspired by the tenaciousness of the hustle. And I think what you have done is you've inspired so many people beyond the people that you know.

I think you touch people that don't realize, that you are unaware of. And I think it's important for you to carry that with you, that you are changing lives simply by your presence. That's really special. Yeah. So thank you, man. Thank you. I wish you and Molly all the best. If you need me for anything.

Yeah, don't. You're going to regret saying that? You're going to regret saying that. I know. I'm on. I like how you're going about the relationship. I like it all. I like it.

I appreciate you, man. And thank you, honestly, for providing such a space. to open up there like i said there's there's nowhere else on this earth like where where i'm currently standing where i'd be confident or or safe enough to to open up about things in my life but this is it ral west great guy his life is a great example of how crime ripples through the community and how that moment that happened 13 years ago how that still stays with him today still impacts who he is and how he shows up. He and his brother have essentially created a safe word to talk about their feelings and their emotions. I guess the more complicated the coffee, the more complicated the

emotion, the more basic. It was just coffee. It's not, that is something that we can all learn from. We can all use. You know, it's interesting. When I see Tyler West in almost every photo, Tyler West, the smile. And it's true. It's genuine. It's pure. You know. And it's It's not to say, and he said it's not to say that he's not dealing with a lot because he is, but he still smiles. Like, if we can all take a scoop of that, it's to our benefit. Relax and let Ralph's delivery handle your grocery shopping this week. We start with only the freshest items, then review your list and carefully choose each one. Then we pack it all up and deliver it in as little as 30 minutes.

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