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Chris Harris Opens Up About Mental Health Issues Stemming From Top Gear Fans

We can all agree that Top Gear is a shadow of its former self. Following the fracas incident from five years ago, Jeremy Clarkson was ousted from the world's most widely-watched factual TV show for punching a producer over a cold meat platter instead of hot food. This left the British Broadcasting Corporation between a rock and a hard place, trying new presenter lineups and formats without too much success.
Chris Harris 1 photo
Photo: The Late Brake Show on YouTube
One of the co-presenters from the initial shakeup is Christopher James Harris, a bloke that you may know since his days at Autocar and Evo. The automotive journalist was even banned from reviewing Ferraris in 2011 after criticizing the brand for influencing reviews, which says a lot about Harris’ journalistic ethics and standards.

As for his role on Top Gear, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chris has the most extensive knowledge in the field, most passion, and the most talent behind the wheel. Andrew Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness are – dare I say it – entertainers rather than car guys.

Even though he’s the best man for the job, Harris isn’t exactly in a good place from a mental standpoint because of certain Top Gear fans. Speaking to Jonny Smith on The Late Brake Show, the 45-year-old journalist says that mental abuse “broke me down." He refers to people sending him feedback “saying 'you're a prick, you've ruined Top Gear for me, I'll never forgive you.' Once they're doing that, that is abuse.”

Thankfully, mental fortitude and specialized help are keeping him afloat. One faithful day, "I did pick up the phone, go and see someone [a doctor], and I had to sit down. And you know what? I'm still doing that now,” confessed Harris. “Not because I'm in a really bad place, but because I need it because it's relentlessly negative."

Remember when people who didn’t like a show just stopped watching the show instead of sending petty messages that can break a man’s self-esteem? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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