Death in Paradise's Ben Miller struggled to manage 'out of control' health condition

Ben Miller, the actor who played Professor Jasper Tempest in the ITV drama Death In Paradise, has opened up about his personal battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).The star revealed that he struggled a lot with OCD, especially in his twenties. "I did struggle a lot with OCD, particularly in my twenties, and I'm very lucky in that it's all very manageable now," Ben said.

He also shared how there were times when his symptoms became "unmanageable," much like his character in the show, Professor T. "But there were times where it was unmanageable, as it is for Professor T, so I know how that feels and I know how I dealt with it." Ben found that the sequences in the show where Professor T imagines himself free of OCD were a great way to depict what's going on inside a person suffering from this condition, reports the Express. "I've found these sequences - where in the Professor's imagination he doesn't have OCD and he's free of all those behaviours - are a great way to show what's going on inside." He further explained that while someone lining up items on a desk might seem harmless, the person could be dealing with a lot more internally. "Seeing somebody lining up items on a desk looks pretty innocuous but inside, that person can be a lot more complicated." OCD is a chronic mental health condition characterised by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviours (compulsions), hence its name.

For instance, someone who is extremely scared of being robbed might feel the need to check all their windows and doors are locked multiple times before they can leave their house.