WARNING: This article contains information about suicide that some readers may wish to avoid
An inquest into the death of Billy Yates, Zoë Ball's former boyfriend, has discovered that the cameraman had attempted to take his life twice before.
Billy, who was 40 at the time of his death, was found dead in his flat in South London last May by a friend who went to check on him.
It was known to his friends and family that he was suffering from depression, and that he was going through financial struggles, but the previous two suicide attempts have not been public knowledge until now.
The inquest, held at Westminster Coroner's Court, heard that Mr Yates was happy in his "beautiful relationship" with Zoë, and that they were "the love of each others' life."
GALLERY: RIP to all the celebrities who passed away last year
RIP to all the celebrities we lost in 2017 slider short
1 of 33Andy Cunningham
Andy Cunningham was best known as the main character and puppeteer on his well-loved children's TV show Bodger & Badger.
2 of 33John Heard
John Heard became a household name after starring as father Peter McAllister in the Home Alone films alongside Macaulay Culkin.
3 of 33Peter Sallis
Peter Sallis was a British actor, best known for being the voice of Wallace from the famous Aardman Studios duo Wallace & Gromit.
4 of 33Sir John Hurt
Sir John Hurt CBE was a well-known and well-loved British actor. Over his 56-year career, he appeared in over 129 films and many TV roles, with 40 of his characters dying – a record for a mainstream actor.
5 of 33Tony Haygarth
Tony Haygarth was an actor from Liverpool. His career spanned 42 years and saw him star in many films and a lot of stage shows, for which he was nominated for Lauren Olivier Theatre Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
6 of 33Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell was a musician, best known for being the lead singer of rock bands Audioslave and Soundgarden. He also wrote and performed the theme song for Casino Royale, the 2006 James Bond film which was the first to star Daniel Craig as Bond.
7 of 33Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton was an American actor whose career spanned 42 years. Starring in big blockbuster films such as The Terminator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aliens with Sigourney Weaver, True Lies again with Schwarzenegger and Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks.
8 of 33John Noakes
John Noakes was a TV presenter. He was best known as being the longest-serving presenter of children's TV show Blue Peter, hosting for 12 years and 6 months.
9 of 33Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is widely acknowledged as being the biggest pioneer of rock 'n' roll, having begun his career in the 50s when the genre was just beginning to come about.
10 of 33Joni Sledge
Joni Sledge was one of the founding members of 70s pop girl group, Sister Sledge, who were known for the massive hits We Are Family, He's The Greatest Dancer and Thinking Of You.
11 of 33Gordon Kaye
Gordon Kaye was an actor from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Although he enjoyed varying success throughout his career, it was in comedy series 'Allo! 'Allo! that he really became a household name.
.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
12 of 33Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
TPT was the original "It Girl" of our time - she was famous for being famous. She paved the way as a 90s socialite, and everyone loved her.
13 of 33Sara Coward
Veteran Archers actor Sara Coward played her character Caroline Sterling on the BBC Radio 4 show for a massive 40 years.
14 of 33Erin Moran
Erin Moran was an American actress, best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on US TV show Happy Days alongside Ron Howard and Henry Winkler.
15 of 33Moray Watson
Moray Watson was a British actor, most famous for his role as Brigadier Arthur Maiford in The Darling Buds Of May alongside David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
16 of 33Sir Roger Moore
Sir Roger Moore was a British actor best known for playing the iconic role of James Bond in seven of the series' films. With a career spanning 72 years, the 89-year-old actor moved away from acting and became an ambassador for UNICEF in 1991.
17 of 33Roy Barraclough
Roy Barraclough was a legendary TV actor whose career spanned five decades. Starring as Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street, he originally started as a bit part in the 70s.
18 of 33Carol Lee Scott
Carol Lee Scott was a British entertainer, best known for her role as the titular character in children's TV programme Grotbags.
19 of 33Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington was the lead singer of popular rock band Linkin Park. They enjoyed huge success, winning a multitude of awards.
20 of 33Hywel Bennett
Hywel Bennett was a Welsh film and TV actor, possibly best known as the title character in Shelley and as gangster Jack Dalton in EastEnders, who ordered the killing of Dirty Den Watts in 1989.
21 of 33Robert Hardy
Robert Hardy was a British actor whose career spanned 70 years. He has played Winston Churchill many times, was popular as vet Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small – and also starred in the Harry Potter film series as Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.
22 of 33Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell was a country music legend, best known for his hits Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman. He was married four times, and had eight children.
23 of 33Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth was arguably one of the most favoured national treasures that the UK has ever produced. His career spanned across 75 years, and the Guinness World Book of Records recognised him as having the longest television career for a male entertainer.
24 of 33Liz Dawn
Liz Dawn was an actress best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, which she played for 34 years.
25 of 33Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner was an American businessman, magazine publisher and renowned playboy. He created the Playboy magazine in 1953, and stayed as its editor-in-chief.
26 of 33Tom Petty
Tom Petty was a world-famous musician who was best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He sold more than 80 million records around the world, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Half of Fame in 2002.
27 of 33Sean Hughes
Sean Hughes was a stand-up comedian, comedy writer and actor. He had his own TV show, Sean's Show, and quite often appeared as a guest captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
28 of 33Iain Rogerson
Iain Rogerson was a British soap actor, and had appeared in most of the big shows - having parts in Emmerdale, Doctors, Casualty, Heartbeat, The Bill and most prominently, Coronation Street as Harry Flagg, a love interest of Eileen Grimshaw between 2002 - 2004.
29 of 33Antonio Carluccio
Antonio Carluccio was a world-famous restauranteur who launched the Carluccio's restaurant chain. The celebrity chef, dubbed the "Godfather of Italian cooking", also helped launch the career of Jamie Oliver and was well-known for his appearances on British TV.
30 of 33Rodney Bewes
Rodney Bewes was a British TV actor best known starring in The Likely Lads as Bob Ferris with his friend James Bolam.
31 of 33Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin was a British TV presenter, well-loved throughout the UK for hosting several children's entertainment shows in the 70s and 80s.
32 of 33Heather North
Heather North was an American TV actress, best known for originating the role of Daphne on the universally-loved children's show, Scooby Doo in 1970.
33 of 33David Cassidy
David Cassidy was a world-famous musician and actor, best known for his role as Keith Partridge on musical sitcom The Partridge Family and his extensive musical career.
However, the former Royal Marine was reported to have had concerns over a large tax bill, and first attempted to take his life in November 2016.
It was also revealed at the inquest that desperate Zoë had paid for a two-week stay at The Priory Hospital where his mental health began to improve, and also paid for private therapists to help him.
They also took a holiday to Goa in India together just after Christmas, something Billy told doctors he was excited about.
However, a few months after his stay in The Priory, Billy attempted to take his life again, calling the NHS crisis number the next day - but did not follow their guidelines to take himself to A&E.
Billy, who had been sober since August 2016, had attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting two days before his death, and he apparently seemed friendly and happy.
But on 4 May he began to drink heavily, and took his own life.
The coroner said that she could not be certain that his death was not a drunken, impulsive act and so returned an open verdict.
Coroner Shirley Radcliffe said: "He was admitted to The Priory and he was still having suicidal thoughts and he was started on different anti-depressants and mood stabilisers and made good progress.
"His private therapist said he was seen to be in a good place and his relationship was going well but financial difficulties were still hanging over his head.
"Alcohol can exacerbate depression and he has previously described himself as impulsive.
"Taking into account the level of alcohol and the fact that he had not used it for some time make it difficult for me to be sure it was intended. Therefore I will record an open conclusion."
Priory consultant psychiatrist Dr Barbara Rooney said: "He was feeling low, but looking forward to Christmas and had planned to go to Goa with his girlfriend at the beginning of January.
"He had been seen by his GP and wished to be referred back to NHS psychologists as he did not want his treatment to be paid for by his girlfriend."
Dr Rooney spoke about when she bumped into him as he attended his regular AA meeting at The Priory: "He seemed good actually, he was cycling on his bike and he waved at me.
"The most important thing to him was the relationship that was going well."
Billy was found in his flat by his friend of 15 years, Brad Abbotts, who said: "We kept in regular contact and I am aware that in the last five years Billy suffered depression and it got so bad that he tried to crash his car.
"It was a cry that he needed help. He received treatment for his injuries and he was admitted to The Priory where he was for two weeks on a voluntary basis.
"I received a text from a friend asking if I had heard from Billy. I left Cobham just before 6pm to check on his welfare and got there at about 6.30pm.
"I went up the stairs and I knocked on the door and there was no answer, I pushed against the door and it opened.
"Straight away I saw Billy."
Billy's family also wrote a statement, which was read out: "William was known and loved by a great number of people and was a sweetheart to many.
"Working in TV, cast and crew knew that if Billy was on the job they would be having a good time.
"That was where Billy met Zoë. They had a friendship and beautiful relationship, they were the love of each others' life.
"William lived his life in something of a whirlwind. William's life, although too short, was filled with absolute individualism.
"He suffered greatly from depression which plagued him on and off for years, but life became too much for him."
If you have been affected by this article, please contact the Samaritans.****
READ MORE...
Male suicide: "Just months after this photo, my husband took his own life"
Zoë Ball gives her first detailed interview about her late boyfriend's suicide
Zoë Ball reveals tragic regret over last conversation with her late boyfriend