Meet the team

Adam Deacon

Actor, Rapper, Writer and Director

Adam is a BAFTA award-winning actor, rapper, writer and director. In 2004 he played the lead role in ITV's drama ‘Wall of Silence’ and starred both in the urban drama ‘Kidulthood’ and its sequel ‘Adulthood 4.3.2.1’.

Adam co-wrote, co-directed and played the lead role in urban comedy ‘Anuvahood’ which grossed over £1m in box office receipts. Time Out magazine labelled him ‘The New Face of Youth Cinema’. In February 2012, he won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.

Listen to Adam chatting to Alastair Campbell about his bipolar diagnosis, stigma and suicidal thinking in this video.

Andrew Thompson

App Developer

Andrew Thompson BCAh is a husband, father, grandfather and app developer from the Midlands. He first saw a psychiatrist when he was 19, but was only diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 50.

In 2019, Andrew approached Bipolar UK with an idea to develop a Mood Tracker app. Since its launch in 2022, over 50,000 people have downloaded the free app to help them stay well. In July 2025, Andrew was awarded the British Citizen Award.

Anushka Asthana

Journalist, Television Presenter and Author

Anushka is a journalist, television presenter and author. She is currently the US editor for Channel 4 News, having previously been the deputy Political Editor of ITV News and co-presenter of ITV’s flagship political programme, Peston.
Previously Anushka helped to launch and present the Guardian’s daily podcast, 'Today in Focus' and in September 2024, published her first book 'Taken as Red'.
Anushka has a close family connection to bipolar.

April Kelley

Actress and Producer

Founder of Mini Productions, April is an award-winning actress and producer who has carved out her career pioneering female talent as well as giving a voice to bisexuality and bipolar.

After years of misdiagnosis and being prescribed the wrong medication, April was 27 before she was diagnosed with bipolar.

Listen to April hosting a panel discussion about on-screen fictional characters living with bipolar and whether they help or hinder understanding of the condition

Ceri Ashe

Actor, Playwright and Founder of Popty Ping Productions

Ceri is a bilingual Welsh actor, playwright and founder of Popty Ping Productions - a theatre company shining a light on stories that often go unheard. Ceri specialises in verbatim theatre which uses real peoples’ words to tell a story.

Passionate about using her platform as a creative to dispel the stigma that still exists around mental illness, Ceri's play 'Bipolar Me' is based on her experience of being diagnosed with the condition in her late 20s.

Dr Clare Dolman

Journalist and Researcher

Clare is a former chair of Bipolar UK and a journalist and researcher specialising in how bipolar affects women. Clare is the co-chair of the Bipolar Commission, a trustee for Maternal Mental Health Alliance and a trustee for Action on Postpartum Psychosis.

Clare has a diagnosis of bipolar type 1. Listen to Clare’s webinar series about women’s hormones and bipolar.

Dr Kay Redfield Jamison

Clinical Psychologist and Author

Kay is a clinical psychologist and the author of bestsellers ‘An Unquiet Mind’, ‘Night Falls Fast’ and ‘Touched with Fire’, and the co-author of the standard medical text on bipolar. She is the Dalio Professor in Mood Disorders, a Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an honorary Professor of English at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Kay was diagnosed with bipolar in early adulthood. Listen to her interview with Emma Belle at our World Bipolar Day conference in 2023.

Emma Belle

Podcast Host and Mental Health Advocate

Emma is a podcast host and mental health advocate. Originally from Brighton, Emma has lived in Paris, Geneva and Dubai. She was diagnosed with bipolar more than a decade ago.

Today, Emma shares her story and experiences of managing mental health and trauma recovery with daily practices, tips and resources through her social media platforms, blogs and our ‘Let’s Talk Bipolar’ podcast series .

Gareth Davies MS

Member of the Senedd

Gareth has represented his home constituency of Vale of Clwyd in the Welsh Parliament since May 2021 and has been the Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Early Years since April 2024, also sitting on the Children, Young People and Education Committee.

Diagnosed with bipolar in 2020, Gareth was the first Member of the Senedd to openly discuss his lived experience of the condition.

Heston Blumenthal

World Renowned Chef and Restaurateur

Heston Blumenthal is a world-renowned chef and restaurateur.

Beyond his professional achievements, Heston has shown incredible courage talking publicly about some of the challenges he faced before his bipolar diagnosis, including extreme mood swings, hallucinations, paranoia and suicidal thoughts.

In July 2024, Heston wrote a foreword for our Bipolar In The Workplace report and in June 2025 made a powerful BBC documentary ‘Heston: My Life with Bipolar’ .

James Wade

Professional Darts Player

James is the second most successful darts player in the history of the PDC and at 24 became the youngest player to win a major PDC World Darts Championship title.

Diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD in 2012, James has been working with Bipolar UK since 2016 to help spread awareness about bipolar and act as an inspiration for others who live with the condition.

Leah Charles-King

Music Artist, TV and Radio Presenter, Producer, Live Host and Public Speaker

Leah has over 30 years’ experience in the entertainment industry as a music artist, TV and radio presenter, producer, live host and public speaker. She is currently the presenter of Channel 4’s ‘A Place in the Sun’ and the founder and public speaking coach at The Red Carpet Academy which teaches on-camera skills to spokespeople and influencers.

Leah speaks openly in the media about her diagnosis of bipolar and mission to end the stigma surrounding the condition. Leah hosts our annual World Bipolar Conference and in July 2025 presented our BBC Lifeline Appeal

Mya-Rose Craig

Ornithologist, Environmentalist, Diversity Activist and Author

Mya-Rose Craig is a British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist and author.
Mya-Rose's award-winning memoir 'Birdgirl' describes her family's birdwatching adventures and how they navigate her mum Helena's diagnosis of bipolar together.

Listen to Mya-Rose in conversation with Kayleigh Llewellyn and Emma Belle at our conference in March 2023 talking about growing up with a mother who lives with bipolar.

Natasha Naomi Rea

Actress, Author and Creative

Natasha is an actress, author and creative. In 2020, she published the critically acclaimed memoir ‘Me Myself and Bipolar Brenda,’ and launched the #speakoutlikebrenda campaign that saw a host of stars from tv and film performing monologues from the book.

Natasha is currently developing her drama ‘Becoming Better’ inspired by her life as a single mother living with bipolar. Natasha is passionate about changing the perception of how people with bipolar work in the creative industry and in society.

Nicky Chinn

Award-winning Songwriter

A songwriter of more than 50 hits, Nicky co-wrote several international number one singles with Mike Chapman in the 70s and 80s. The hits include 'Living Next Door to Alice', 'Tiger Feet', 'Lonely This Christmas', 'Ballroom Blitz' and the worldwide hit 'Mickey'.

Chinn and Chapman were the recipients of three Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting, including the Jimmy Kennedy award for outstanding career achievement in 1997.

More recently, Nicky was a co-writer on ‘APT’ by Rosé and Bruno Mars which was number 1 on the Billboard Global Chart for a record-breaking 19 weeks.

Nicky was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 16.

Rosie Van Amerongen

Model, Presenter and Author

Rosie van Amerongen (aka Rosie Viva) is a model, presenter and author of ‘Completely Normal and Totally Fine: My Life with Bipolar Disorder’ where she shares her powerful journey through mania, depression and recovery.

Diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 22, in 2023 Rosie made a short digital documentary with Channel 4 about her day-to-day experiences of living with bipolar.