David Walliams recounts his heartbreaking suicide attempt

David Walliams has shared heartbreaking details of a past suicide attempt.

The 53-year-old actor, comedian and author is known to millions for his shows including Little Britain and books including Mr Stink and The Boy in the Dress.

The TV star has candidly discussed his mental health struggles amid his fame in the past and has now shared that he once tried to end his life when he was a university student.

Walliams told The Sunday Times, "The weight of my depression had become unbearable. I'd known something was wrong from an early age - a feeling of unbearable loneliness I could never escape.

"Despair loomed over me that first Christmas back from university, and I couldn't live with it any more. Mum discovered me lying lifeless on my bed, having taken an overdose."

The comedian went on to explain that seeing the impact his actions had on his mother, Kathleen, forced him to change and, with her help, he turned a corner.

He recalled, "It broke her heart. She cried for weeks. I am ashamed I was so selfish to put her through this, but her boundless love got me through."

The Come Fly With Me star previously addressed his depression in his 2012 autobiography, Camp David, writing, "Many people who suffer from depression confirm early morning is the worst time. At 4am you are totally alone.

"There is no one to call. It was not just the terrible elemental sadness I felt, but fear. Fear of death, fear of life, fear of love, fear of everything."