Boxer Tyson Fury is to publish a “warts and all” autobiography detailing his rise to fame and subsequent mental health struggles.
Behind The Mask: My Autobiography will be published by Century, an imprint of Penguin Random House, on November 14.
It is expected to shed light on the former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion’s drug and alcohol use, depression and subsequent return to boxing.
Fury, 31, said his story was “bigger than boxing” and suggested it could help other people suffering poor mental health.
He said: “‘I’ve been working hard on this for a long time. But the secret’s out. For the first time ever I’ve told my whole story, and revealed the real me, warts and all.
“I’ve spoken about the darkest moments of my life, when I came within seconds of ending everything in a Ferrari at 160mph.
“I’ve spoken about my upbringing, my family, my fights, my faith, my weight loss. And I’ve relived my battle with depression, drink and drugs.
“It’s a story about coming back from the brink, and how I changed my mindset and attitude to life to do this.
“It’s a story that’s bigger than boxing. I hope it can help people out there to get help if they’re struggling with mental health problems. If I can come back from these things, so can you.”
Fury was born into an Irish family in Wythenshawe, Manchester, and his father John was a gypsy bare-knuckle fighter in the 1980s.
Named after former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, Fury was born three months premature and weighed in at 1lb. Doctors described his chances of survival as slim.
Fury’s brother Tommy starred on ITV2’s Love Island earlier this year, and the pair’s family will be the focus of a four-part documentary titled Meet The Furys to air this autumn.
Ben Brusey, publishing director at Century, said: “Sylvester Stallone said it best: ‘Tyson Fury is an amazing real-life champion’. And the story of Tyson Fury’s life and career is even more extraordinary than a Rocky film script.
“Tyson has become a British hero to so many, and his book reveals a side to him we’ve never seen before: brutally frank, funny and utterly inspiring about his mental health struggles. This will be one of the very biggest autobiographies of the year.”
The so-called Gypsy King is returning to the ring this weekend to face undefeated Swede Otto Wallin at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.