Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter view McFly as an "escape".
Tom Fletcher calls Dougie Poynter
The 'All About You' hitmakers - who are joined in the band by Danny Jones and Harry Judd - admitted life during lockdown has been difficult for them both for different reasons, but both have found it hard without having their work as a creative outlet.
Speaking on a video call to one another as part of Three UK and The Samaritans' #BetterPhoneFriend campaign, Tom - who has sons Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and Max, two, with wife Giovanna - said: "We’ve been going through the same thing but our lives are very different.
“Being at home and being a dad it’s been challenging...
Dougie replied: "I can relate, you’ve got three kids, I’ve got two cats man. It sounds like you had too much to do and I didn’t really have anything to do.
“Our work is an escape, you had it to escape from too much and I had it as my thing to do and focus on.”
Tom added: “I hear you Doug, I feel you man.”
Tom has previously suffered from depression, while Dougie attempted suicide amid a battle with drugs and alcohol in 2011 and they are grateful they have one another to turn to when they need support.
Tom said: "Me and Dougie have definitely been through a rollercoaster ride in understanding our relationship and how to communicate with each other and when we need to stop talking and listen to the other person...
“Dougie has had plenty of moments of being an amazing listener. Particularly over the last five years. We’ve all kind of grown up and we’re in a new place in our lives and he’s really good at making you stop and actually asking how you feel.”
And Dougie said: "Getting past the surface level of ‘Hi, how are you?’ can be quite hard.
“On loads of occasions Tom has been an exceptional listener for me, he’s great. He’s really, really good at it.
Tom and Dougie are backing Three UK and the Samaritans' #BetterPhoneFriend campaign, which encourages the nation to reach out, connect and listen to loved ones after research found one in three Brits felt their mental health has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic and 90% agreed that speaking to someone has positively affected their situation.
For more information on the listening personalities and how to be a #BetterPhoneFriend, visit www.three.co.uk/betterphonefriend
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