Doctor Alex George has launched a new campaign to 'break down the stigma' surrounding erectile dysfunction among men.
The former Love Island star has amassed a social media following of more than 1.4 million people during the coronavirus crisis, with his regular updates providing an insight into the work of those fighting the disease on the frontline.
New research from Lloyds Pharmacy has revealed that 6.4 million men in the UK have issues getting or maintaining an erection, with around 18% of those admitting that it happens every time they have sex.
Speaking to Metro, George said: "I try and use my platform as much as possible to talk about, you know, mental health and health topics that affect people particularly things that have stigma around it, or make people feel uncomfortable.
"Erectile dysfunction is one of those topics that men feel so uncomfortable or generally, a lot of men feel very uncomfortable about talking about it and opening up about it.
"I think a lot of it comes down to the expectations of men and masculinity that you know 'if you're a real man you can have sex'. I think, though, those kind of expectations, put a lot of pressure on men and if you are not able to kind of fit the exact component and be perfect in that way, then you feel a lot of pressure.
"So it is an issue, and I think that's why we have to kind of make it more normal, to normalise it and make people feel more comfortable and realise actually you're not the only person that's got this."
Watch the video for the 'It's Time We TalkED' campaign below:
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