PA/WGN America Heartbreaking footage has emerged of Dog the Bounty Hunter less than 12 hours after his wife Beth Chapman died as he battled suicide thoughts.
Beth died earlier this year on June 26 at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had been battling throat cancer for almost two years and was 51 years old at the time of her death.
In the days and weeks following her passing, Dog – whose real name is Duane Lee Chapman – talked openly about his struggle to cope without his wife. But new footage reveals at one point, he hoped for his own death.
You can watch part of the emotional season finale below:
On Wednesday’s season finale of Dog’s Most Wanted, as per Yahoo! Entertainment, the reality TV star broke down as he came to terms with Beth’s death.
Opening up about his grief, Duane said to the camera:
I just hope that I don’t live very much longer without her because now she made the first step, she’s through the gate. She’s paved a way for me.
He then suggested taking painkillers to end his suffering, before wrestling with the notion of how Beth would react if she knew he’d committed suicide.
Duane continued:
I feel like if I did something to myself right now and passed away, suicidal, and I got to Heaven, I’d go, ‘Hi, honey!’
Would she go, ‘You dumb ass, why did you do that?’ or would she go, ‘Wow, you’re here!’? I’d be like, ‘Of course I’m here, I love you.’
Sources close to the grieving husband told TMZ Dog watched the emotional episode with some of his friends and family – including his son, Garry, and his personal adviser, Richard Moore – at his Colorado home.
The group reportedly all cried together, with Duane able to get a little bit of closure from the episode before realising he was going to pull through with the help of his loved ones.
PAThe same sources said the episode had inspired Dog to help others struggling with their own feelings of grief, with the reality star now aiming to encourage people to seek help during their darkest moments.
Beth and Duane married in 2006, after 16 years together, at a Hilton hotel in Waikoloa Village in Hawaii. They rose to fame with their reality TV show, Dog The Bounty Hunter, in which they tracked down criminals with the help of their extended family.
Beth is survived by her husband Duane, his sons Leland and Duane Lee, and her four children, Cecily Chapman, Bonnie Chapman, Garry Chapman, and Dominic Davis.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).