Acclaimed American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax OBE has received an honorary degree from Bangor University.

She has research and teaching links with Bangor University, and has attended mindfulness retreats, using her experience to understand how mindfulness can provide therapeutic support for people living through depression and anxiety. Bangor University presented an honorary doctorate to Ruby for her role in highlighting and discussing mental health.

Ruby said: “It’s an honour to receive this honorary degree. I was not good in school, so my teachers would be astounded this was happening, as would my parents.”

Addressing nursing graduates, she said: “I think nurses are heroines and heroes, particularly now, after the pandemic, the next pandemic could be one of trauma so I really think this is the time that nurses will need help and we should not underestimate the power of mental health on physical health.”

She added: “As I’ve always said to anyone with mental health issues, my message is to not be ashamed. The statistics are one in four, and if anyone had any other physical disability, they would tell everyone and they would be supported and there would be no shame. We’ve got to stop the shame, we can’t stop the mental illness.”

Professor Oliver Turnbull, deputy vice-chancellor presented Ruby Wax with her Doctorate and said: “Ruby has brought support for mental health to a new audience, discussing complex matters of brain and mind, in an accessible and often hilarious way. But always with the serious point that we need to remove the stigma that mental health illness still carries. Indeed, Ruby has spoken often about her own experiences with depression, and her openness has undoubtedly, significantly and positively, supported so many people who otherwise have faced mental ill-health challenges on their own and in silence.”