Kevin Bridges has said he almost quit stand up comedy when his mental health spiralled out of control.

The 35 year old comedian discusses his battle with mental illness in a new book, The Black Dog, which traces Bridges’ life story and the time when he almost stepped away from the comedy circuit seven years ago.

Bridges first appeared on our TV screens in 2004 when he made the final of Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny when he was just 18.

He went on to be a hugely successful stand up with his DVDs outselling the likes of Michael McIntyre and John Bishop.

But at this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival an audience met the serious side of the well-known Glaswegian comedian.

At the event Bridges said:“[I thought] why don’t I draw on my experience of being someone who’s famous in the world of showbiz, who is experiencing burnout.

“After my 2015 tour I considered quitting stand-up because I had stopped enjoying it. Financially I was sound and I felt I had lived my dream, I’d done it.

"It had been great, I’d looked after my family and I wanted to do something else. I moved to Madrid, enrolled on a Spanish course, and through being anonymous and walking around the streets, doing something totally different, I gradually found normality.”

The comedian went on to reveal he has seeked professional help after his mental health deteriorated.

 “I went to see a therapist a couple of times, at numerous stages of my life, dealing with different pressures. That helped. Speaking and exercise, stuff like that, but mainly realising that a lot of people feel that way.”

He added: "There are a lot of issues, a lot of mental health stuff, addiction, social commentary, but I hope I have treated it with sensitivity.”

The Black Dog by Kevin Bridges is available now published by Wildfire books.