Mick Fanning opens up on mental health struggles after brother’s death

• Spoke with Keiran Foran and best mate Joel Parkinson 
• Wants to provide a message of support for young people   

Surf legend Mick Fanning has opened up about his mental health struggles just months after losing his third brother in tragic circumstances. 

Fanning, along with NRL star Kieran Foran and fellow surfing legend Joel Parkinson, shared their mental health journeys to promote the importance of conversations around mental wellbeing among young men. 

The Titans are supporting Top Blokes and Logan’s Legacy as part of their Round 14 match, following the tragic loss of Foran’s stepson Logan Steinwede, who took his own life in 2023.

The young surfer was only 20 years old when he died. 

Fanning’s brother Edward died while living and working at a surf tour camp in Madagascar in March this year. 

This tragedy followed the deaths of his brothers Peter, who died in his sleep from a health condition in 2015, and Sean, who was killed in a car crash in Coolangatta in 1998.

Speaking with Foran and Parkinson, Fanning reflected on how the death of his brother Sean when he was a teenager had deeply affected him. 

‘When I lost my first brother, I was very much the same,’ he said after hearing Foran talk about almost taking his own life. 

‘I was only young, 16 or 17. Everyone around is going ‘be strong, be strong’ and I thought that was showing no emotion, not letting anyone in.

‘So I had this wall that would only come down when I was in my room by myself. 

‘People would do the same thing, they are sitting there, they are like, how are you? And I [would reply] ‘I’m good, I’m good’. I just suppressed so much and it all just came back.’

It was through that early tragedy and the support of his friends and family that Fanning learned the importance of dealing with emotions, tools he would carry for life as he faced the heartbreaking loss of two more of his siblings.

‘As I went on in life, I learned that you’ve got to deal with those things then and there because they are only going to get bigger and worse in your head,’ he said.

Fanning explained that relying on his support network of family and friends, including his lifelong friendship with Parkinson, helped him manage life’s challenges.

 ‘Some people think that there is no way out of it, but it is not that bad,’ he said. 

‘You face your fears, you have your friends and your family to support you and we’ve got to help each other get through those dark times.’

‘I’ve been in the same situation where I couldn’t get out of bed. I would [ask myself] ‘f***, is this it?’ I just don’t want to go and face the world. 

‘I had friends pull me out of bed, get me in the water and that’s what pretty much changed my trajectory and changed the way I approach things.’

Fanning is now urging other young people facing tragedy, trauma, or mental health challenges to open up and seek support. 

‘The biggest thing, when you are 17, 18, you are meant to be a man,’ he said. ‘And there is this stigma around you’ve got to be strong, tough. 

‘But I think probably the most courageous thing that you can do is actually open up to somebody and talk to them.’

‘For me, through my journeys, it was always calling a friend, or talking to a parent or my family. Those people that are closest to you, they’ve got unconditional love. They will try and do whatever they can to try and help you. 

‘Even if they don’t have the answers, it is so easy to research all that now. You’ve got Top Blokes, you’ve got It Ain’t Weak to Speak [awareness drives], you’ve got all these mental health lifelines and all these sorts of things. 

‘It is so easy to get in touch with these people. And in no way should it be embarrassing whatsoever, it is more courageous that you do go and speak up.’

Top Blokes Foundation 1300 450 850

Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 (24 hours)

Kid’s Helpline 1800 55 1800

Beyond Blue Support Service 1300 22 4636