On the face of it, Ryan O’Callaghan was living the dream.

The offensive tackle was a stand-out collegiate football player who was drafted to play alongside Tom Brady at the New England Patriots.

He should have had it all – fame, fortune, all the trappings that came with it – but for Ryan, football was never a game he loved, but a way to hide the fact he was gay.

It was something he did throughout his career – and it was only in 2017 that he decided to open up publicly about his sexuality for the first time, as one of the very few NFL players to have ever spoken up about the fact they were gay.

Ryan now uses his platform to help and support others – and we’re delighted to have him on the podcast today.

This isn’t always an easy listen – we talk about Ryan’s mental health and why, at points, he felt like taking his own life – and in the description box of this episode, we’ve put a link to the BBC Action Line and other places you can find support if you or someone you know have been affected by his story.

But I’d urge you to listen to this whole episode, as it really is an extraordinary conversation with a brilliant guest that we think will stick with you for a long time.

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?
https://www.facebook.com/ryanocallaghanfoundation/

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?
@jack_murley
jack.murley@bbc.co.uk

HAVE YOU BEEN AFFECTED BY ANY OF THE TOPICS RAISED IN THIS PODCAST?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/