Konan diagnosed with PTSD after stepfather was shot by gunmen sent to kill him

Konan has spoken about the trauma that led to PTSD for a hard-hitting Channel 4 documentary.

The 33-year-old, who is one half of the musical duo Krept and Konan, allows cameras to film him undergoing trauma therapy, which was privately paid for.

During the sessions, he talks in-depth for the first time about witnessing his stepfather’s death in 2011, who was killed by gunmen sent to kill Konan, real name Karl Wilson BME. He also talks about other traumas from his life including a car crash and being the victim of alleged crimes including a stabbing, and burglary.

He has since suffered from trauma symptoms including anxiety, paranoia, flashbacks and debilitating guilt.

During the filming of the documentary, Konan is diagnosed with PTSD – a condition that affects 311,000 UK people aged 16-24 in any given year, exclusive data analysis for Channel 4 has found.

Konan admits that the condition has meant he’s been unable to enjoy his career success, which has included two top-five UK albums.

Konan is part of a musical duo (Picture: Hannah Young/REX/Shutterstock)

‘The money, the fame, it doesn’t erase the trauma in my brain. It doesn’t erase how I felt that day, it doesn’t erase how now I’m permanently scarred,’ he explained.

‘As soon as I go into a room I’m analysing the escapes, I’m analysing if there are weapons, I’m analysing who’s in the room, and I can’t relax.’

He also revealed to the therapist Charlene Edwards how his feelings have affected him.

‘I just feel angry inside. I just feel like nothing. Like I’m never going to be able to escape it.’

He added that he feels like he has to behave a certain way: ‘You know you’ve been told you just have to always be strong.

Konan hasn’t been able to fully enjoy his success (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

‘That’s just culture. You’re a man’s man. You crack on init. You assume never to show weakness, never to be soft.’

Speaking about how therapy has helped he said: ‘I think it’s helped me look at things differently and reflect more.’

‘One of the reasons why I wanted to get therapy is because I started to feel like I wasn’t happy,’ he later explained during a chat with Krept, real name Casyo Johnson BME.

He added that the therapist taught him that: ‘If you numb yourself to sadness, you will numb yourself to happiness also.’

As part of the episode, Konan travels the country unearthing what experts warn is a mental health crisis among young people. He discovered that the implications could have serious emotional, social and financial consequences for the UK.

‘I hope this documentary encourages others to engage in open dialogue, rather than bottling up things like I did. I hope it inspires them to seek help and actively pursue their own healing and self-improvement journeys,’ Konan wrote on Instagram.

Untold: Konan – Trapped in Trauma is available to stream on Channel4 and Youtube now

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Konan allowed cameras to film his therapy sessions.