James Middleton tells how his sisters accompanied him to therapy

James Middleton has told how his sister, the Princess of Wales, attended his therapy appointments when he was being treated for a depression so severe that he had contemplated taking his own life. 

The youngest of the three Middleton siblings appeared on Mail columnist Bryony Gordon's podcast 'The Life of Bryony' today. 

While James, 37, was encouraged by his therapist to bring his family along to sessions, he was only comfortable taking his older sisters, Catherine, 42, and Pippa, 41, at that time.

'I felt so much love from them, and that was just so powerful for me in that step of recovery,' he told Bryony.  

The author of 'Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life', published on Thursday, September 26, described his sisters' engagement in his recovery journey as a 'very moving moment' for him, which caused him to 'burst into tears'. 

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'[T]hey weren't being judgmental, they were really trying to help,' he said.

While the father-of-one was unable to remember the conversations that they all had in the therapy room, he recalled that both Catherine and Pippa 'were asking questions to help them understand.' 

He added: '[T]hey could have postponed it, delayed it. They both had their own busy lives and they were with their grown-up brother who was struggling, and it was a very moving moment that for me.'

James, who is married to French financial analyst Alizée Thevenet, admitted that, despite being 'close siblings', he had pushed his sisters away during the early part of his depression. 

'I think sometimes the closer someone is to you, the harder it can be for them to help,' he said. 

James found it 'wonderful' that his sisters were doing their utmost to understand what he was going through by not only attending his therapy sessions but participating in them.

His spaniel, Ella, however, was 'put out' by their presence, James joked. 

Reflecting on Catherine and Pippa's willingness to play a role in his recovery, he added: 'And I think the only one that was put out at that point was perhaps Ella, who was like, "but this is my place to be with you."'

In his new book, 'Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life', James talks at length about how Ella, who sadly passed away in January 2023 at the age of 15, played a crucial role in his recovery. 

The businessman, who founded the marshmallow business Boomf in 2013, explains that he almost took a fatal leap off the roof of his London home in 2017 - but was distressed by the thought of what would happen to his beloved Ella if he died.

Looking back to one of his darkest periods, James explained: 'Even the things that I used to love I got no pleasure from and the one thing that I think got me out of that mindset was being outdoors, wherever it was, but with Ella and some of the dogs.

'I think I was watching them and I remember that was a wonderful thing - you could go for a walk and people weren't looking at you they were looking at that.'

His late dog Ella was also responsible for introducing James to his wife, the author revealed.  

She approached Alizée in a bar and made herself comfortable next to the financial analyst, giving James the chance to pay her bill and  leave a note with his telephone number. 

Alizée sent James a message later that evening and the two met up soon after. The couple married in September 2021 and share one child, Inigo. 

During the course of his conversation with Bryony, James also reflected on the difficulties he experienced as a child and teenager with dyslexia and undiagnosed Attention deficit disorder (ADD). 

His later ADD diagnosis provided James with the 'missing link', helping him to understand why he had struggled so much as a pupil at Marlborough College - the public school where his academic older sisters had thrived. 

'I just remember teachers saying just apply yourself a little bit more and you might achieve something,' James recalled.

He added: 'I just remember that applying yourself is such a hard work because I really was applying, I just sort of perhaps lacked a bit of concentration. And, but it didn't mean I wasn't interested in that specific subject.'

In his book, James writes that had to take a gap year at the age of 18 in order to retake his Chemistry A-Level four times - which he describes as a 'humiliating record' for Marlborough College.

While he recalls that his father Michael complained that his £32,000-a-year education a 'waste of money', James insists that both his parents just 'wanted the best' for their son. 

• Ever feel like life is a bit…too much? Bestselling author and journalist Bryony Gordon is here to ditch the shame and dive headfirst into life’s messier bits. Search for The Life of Bryony wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes released every Monday and Friday.