TikToker on mission to ease loneliness

Connor Scott started doing his TikTok sessions after his father died suddenly

A man who contemplated taking his life after the death of his father has found a new purpose - running TikTok sessions to help people facing mental health challenges.

Connor Scott, 22, from Corby in Northamptonshire, runs his support sessions every night on the social media platform.

He said he wanted to be a voice people could hear when there was no-one else to talk to during the night.

He now has five thousand followers.

Mr Scott's world turned upside down on 4 July 2021, when his father died suddenly from a heart attack.

He said: "That news was the worse news I've ever heard in my life.

"It was a complete shock to me and sent me on a downward spiral, and I was sinking in a hole I didn't think I could get out of."

He said things went from bad to worse when a relationship broke up and he was involved in a serious car crash.

One night, after an argument with people he was close to, he left the house with the intention of leaving his life behind as well.

He said: "There was one thought that stopped me - it was 'what would Dad say right now?'"

Connor Scott was hit hard by the death of his father in 2021

Struggling with his own mental health made him realise what a lot of people in the same situation needed when it was dark and everyone was asleep was "a voice to hear because you feel so alone".

He said: "You have no-one to speak to and you feel like a burden to everyone.

"You don't want to bother anyone at that time of night, so having me there, just chatting away, creating a comfortable safe space for people, that's what I'm there for."

Connor Scott says "everyone has a reason to be here"

His sessions on TikTok run from 23:30 BST to 04:00 BST and he has "had people from all over the place, from different countries, come through to my live streams and tell me all their different issues".

Connor Scott's faithful companion Womble

He said: "There's always going to be someone listening. There's people you haven't met in life who will be so grateful that you've made it through your journey.

"Everyone's got a reason to live. Everyone's got a reason to be here. All you need is a crack of light, because that light will shine through the darkness."

His plans for the future include a podcast called "Pros and Conz" - using his own nickname - to "block out the cons in life".

He also wants to write stories involving his beloved dog, Womble, who came into his life on the very day his father died.

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