{"id":753539,"date":"2026-08-29T12:04:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/753539\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T12:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:04:16","slug":"daniel-galvin-jr-mbe-my-life-fell-apart-but-ive-now-learned-what-really-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/753539\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Galvin Jr MBE: \u201cMy life fell apart, but I\u2019ve now learned what really matters\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019d met me six years ago, you\u2019d have thought I was living a gilded life. I certainly did. With a prosperous career as an entrepreneur, clients spanning the globe, a beautiful family and a country estate in the Cotswolds, I had everything <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/gen-x-great-wealth-transfer-millennials-b3019734.html\" title=\"Generation X is about to inherit a fortune \u2013 and about to blow the opportunity of a lifetime\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">my generation had been taught meant success<\/a>. That\u2019s why I couldn\u2019t bring myself to admit I was struggling when it all fell apart. Like so many Gen X men, who are at the highest risk of dying by suicide, I refused to ask for help. And it nearly killed me. <\/p>\n<p>Growing up, I was good at sports and adept at hiding feelings. Despite wanting to be a journalist, I instead followed my father, Daniel Galvin Sr, into our family business aged 16. He was one of the original high-profile celebrity hairdressers who became famous for his work with Princess Diana, as well as creating the iconic blonde colour for Twiggy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/voices\/madonna-birthday-party-corfu-big-celebrations-b3035632.html\" title=\"Sorry, Madonna \u2013 is there anything less inviting than a big birthday bash?\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">working with Madonna<\/a>, so there was definitely a sense of being in his shadow. But I quickly discovered my own talent, and decided that I wanted to carve my own path, so I moved to Beverly Hills where I also started to gain my own celebrity and royal following. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PA-60545923-055f2f0d.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Daniel Galvin Jr during the investiture ceremony for his MBE in 2021: \u201cHRH King Charles is the most gracious and dignified man I know and it is an honour to support his charities around the world\u201d\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Daniel Galvin Jr during the investiture ceremony for his MBE in 2021: \u201cHRH King Charles is the most gracious and dignified man I know and it is an honour to support his charities around the world\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/health-and-fitness\/mens-mental-health-depression-loneliness-owen-o-kane-b2859419.html\" title=\"Men are still faking it until they break: Inside the crisis of hidden depression\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Inside though, I was suffering<\/a>. My relationship with my father had become strained and I just couldn\u2019t understand how things had gone so wrong between us. On the surface, I had everything but was miserable when I got home at night. Desperate to escape my unhappiness, I turned to drugs in my early twenties as a way of avoiding my pain. By 28, I was heavily addicted to cocaine. <\/p>\n<p>Going into rehab however, changed my life because I replaced chemicals with organic living. It set me on a new path \u2013 both personally and professionally. Back then, the people who championed organic living were ridiculed. I felt certain, though, that this was the future and set up my own organic haircare line in 1999. My instinct was right. Slowly but surely, I built the product line and also opened my own salon in London. <\/p>\n<p>Personally too, my life transformed with my marriage, the birth of my son and a large home in the Cotswolds. I was sober, successful and really did have it all. <\/p>\n<p>I was however, also carrying a secret: the more I had, the more I feared failure. Crushing down my emotions, I allowed the competitive aspects of my personality to dominate, driving myself harder and harder, spending most of my time living out of a suitcase as I travelled the globe for work and stifling my most pernicious fear: that deep down I was not good enough. <\/p>\n<p>Why did I feel that way? I think part of it was having a hugely successful father and the other was bullying I\u2019d experienced at school. Aged 12, I\u2019d won an older boy\u2019s place on the rugby team at Millfield where I was at school and it sparked a two-year bullying campaign. It\u2019s a trauma that never quite leaves you. <\/p>\n<p>So, while I was externally very successful by my forties, I internally lived in constant fear of not being good enough. For me, working through emotions meant going for a long run or getting into a boxing ring because, like most Gen X men, I\u2019d never learned to talk about my feelings. I was the one who looked after others. I couldn\u2019t ask for help. I believed sharing my problems would be a weakness. <\/p>\n<p>And for a long time, this strategy worked. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Galvinpremium-58ba31de.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Daniel Galvin Jr MBE with Victoria fly fishing at Bovey Castle\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Daniel Galvin Jr MBE with Victoria fly fishing at Bovey Castle<\/p>\n<p>I began selling my products across the US, Australia and the Middle East, as well as the UK, and also did several collaborations with then-Prince Charles on his Duchy Originals and Highgrove Baby and Signature ranges. I was working hard and financially very comfortable but then things started to unravel bit by bit.<\/p>\n<p>It started when I was mugged at knife point outside my salon in 2016 and refused to linger too long on the experience. Then, as my marriage started falling apart, I continued to focus heavily on work. There were huge moments of pride \u2013 such as being awarded an MBE, for my services to young people and charity because of my work as an ambassador for The Prince\u2019s Trust (now The King\u2019s Trust) \u2013 but also significant lows. <\/p>\n<p>In 2020 for instance, my product business went into freefall as global manufacturing was rerouted during Covid to support pandemic supplies and we were unable to source bottles. It was far beyond my control, but I still internalised it as a personal failing. Then I was attacked and had to have extensive head and facial surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Spiralling ever downwards, I finally hit rock bottom six months later. After I disappeared for three days, Victoria turned up at my flat and found me passed out<\/p>\n<p>Even as the challenges layered up, I told myself to just keep going. I would build it all back again. But I\u2019d lost faith in people, got burned and could not let go of my resentment. I became completely self-reliant and believed the only person I could trust was myself. <\/p>\n<p>Amid all this, I was put on an occasional dose of Xanax to help me relax. I told myself I hadn\u2019t been addicted to anything for more than two decades. I\u2019d be fine. But then in December 2022, I was mugged at knifepoint again outside my salon in Belgravia and, after being diagnosed with PTSD and acute burnout, a doctor put me on a more regular dose of Xanax.<\/p>\n<p>I quickly became dependent, as well as drinking far more heavily, hiding it from everyone except my new partner Victoria, who is a trained psychotherapist and could see what was happening. Urging me to have treatment, she convinced me to go to rehab in July 2023, but I came out on more medication than I\u2019d gone in on. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Galvinpremium-1986d61a.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Daniel Galvin Jnr MBE pictured with Victoria at the Belgravia Awards where Daniel was nominated\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Daniel Galvin Jnr MBE pictured with Victoria at the Belgravia Awards where Daniel was nominated<\/p>\n<p>Spiralling ever downwards, I finally hit rock bottom six months later. After I disappeared for three days, Victoria turned up at my flat and found me passed out. I was admitted to hospital and realised that I had very nearly died. Addiction was going to take everything from me if I didn\u2019t somehow dig deep. <\/p>\n<p>With Victoria\u2019s love and support, I finally accepted that I had to really let everything go. All the ego. The attachment to material things. The financial signifiers of success.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2024, I flew to the Cedars Clinic in South Africa and this time rehab completely changed my life. Instead of being medicated, I was taken apart and put back together again spiritually and emotionally. My recovery however wasn\u2019t a neat line \u2013 I was clean for a year before relapsing with alcohol and returned to Cedars for a second stay. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image3-6dec664a.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Daniel Galvin Jnr MBE with his dad on Father\u2019s day\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/>Daniel Galvin Jnr MBE with his dad on Father\u2019s day<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019ve now been sober for 18 months and have finally been honest with myself about how much damage my addiction did to the people I love. In particular, Victoria, who washed, fed and bathed me at my lowest. She saved my life. And I\u2019ve put myself in her shoes and realised just how much an addict asks of the people around them. They aren\u2019t anaesthetising themselves; they\u2019re living with the raw pain of seeing the person they love suffer.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve now been sober for 18 months and have finally been honest with myself about how much damage my addiction did to the people I love<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve also learned that the right rehab, at the point when you\u2019re really ready to engage, can truly save your life. It is like getting into the boxing ring with yourself and I had to let go of all the character traits I\u2019d developed as I grew from boy to man \u2013 from hiding my emotions, to investing all my worth in the outward manifestations of supposed success. <\/p>\n<p>My routine \u2013 a certain seat, the best table and wine vintage \u2013 had become my identity. I\u2019ve finally learned to clearly see what really has meaning. Stripping all that armour off was terrifying but also liberating. I\u2019ve learned to integrate my professional ambition with a life more fully lived. Today, I fly fish, go to the opera, switch off my phone and can understand that I am not measured by professional or financial success. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s difficult to admit just how low I went, but I think there are a lot of men like me out there who won\u2019t talk, let go and ask for help. And many of them die by suicide. All I can say is this: the moment you succumb to the fact that your life needs to change, the moment you admit you need to get vulnerable, is the moment you start to recover. That\u2019s why I\u2019m speaking out now. My generation of men wasn\u2019t taught to ask for help. But it isn&#8217;t a weakness. It\u2019s a strength. And it could save your life. <\/p>\n<p>As told to Megan Lloyd Davies<\/p>\n<p>If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samaritans.org\/\">Samaritans<\/a> website to find details of your nearest branch.<\/p>\n<p>If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/988lifeline.org\/\">988lifeline.org<\/a> to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/befrienders.org\/\">www.befrienders.org<\/a> to find a helpline near you<\/p>\n<p>Victoria Joyce, who helped Daniel and continues to work with many high profile clients, is an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist (Prof.Dip.Psych.c MNCPS (acc.) and can be contacted on enquiries@fullcircletherapy.services <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019d met me six years ago, you\u2019d have thought I was living a gilded life. I certainly&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":753540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-753539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}