Ipswich mum features on Heston Blumenthal’s BBC Two film

Rebecca McLellan, a 24-year-old paramedic, was found dead at her flat on November 20, 2023.

She was receiving care at the time from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust for bipolar disorder. 

Her mother, Natalie McLellan, has since been outspoken on the issues in the two counties and the country at large in dealing with mental health, and has called for improvements to be made. 

As a result, she features on Blumenthal's BBC documentary, which attempts to show how to deal with such stigma around mental health.

Blumenthal himself has previously spoken about his bipolar disorder diagnosis.

The doc will air on BBC Two at 8pm on Thursday.

Natalie McLellan will be featured on the BBC Two documentary (Image: Shikhar Talwar) Mrs McLellan said: "Once I told Rebecca's story, they were keen to add it to the actual documentary itself, and so Heston came to spend a day with me and talk about his experience.

"I think it is massively important to raise the profile of such a complex, serious mental health condition, considering that statistics show that there are many people in this country suffering from bipolar.

"It is about ending the stigma around mental health, and it is really important to make sure that people understand that with the correct support, people with bipolar can lead a really fulfilling life, and a stable life. 

"But without it, it can be catastrophic, and in Rebecca's case, it was really catastrophic."

Paramedic Rebecca McLellan died in November 2023 (Image: The McLellan family)

She hopes to see funding go towards mental health to deliver better support. 

Rebecca McLellan was a student paramedic at Ipswich Hospital, and in August last year, an inquest into her death was opened at Suffolk Coroners’ Court.

However, a date for the inquest's conclusion has not yet been set.

Heston Blumenthal was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in November 2023 (Image: BBC/PA)Blumenthal, a chef and presenter of Channel 4's Heston’s Fantastical Food and Heston’s Feasts, was sectioned in November 2023 following a manic episode and given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Blumenthal had told PA: “It took me 50 years to get a diagnosis, so it’s been an extraordinary journey to get where I am today.

“There is still a big stigma around bipolar, but it is vital to be able to talk openly about the condition. I know this isn’t always easy, but I hope by sharing my experience in this documentary, people will gain a greater understanding of bipolar and an insight into my life now.”