Davide Anica, content creator and groom from this series of Married at First Sight UK, has opened up about how he wished he asked for help while sleeping rough on the streets of Paris aged just 19 years old as he teams up with charity EveryYouth to tackle youth homelessness in the UK.  

Davide has opened up about his emotional coming out experience, in which his father rejected him for being gay. Davide left home in Portugal to study dance in Paris shortly afterwards.  

“I was homeless when I was 19. I ended up on the streets because my relationship with my family didn’t go so well when I came out,” he told EveryYouth.

“My wallet got stolen on the Metro in Paris and that had all my money in it. So I had absolutely nothing to go on for a couple of weeks until I got my next paycheck.” 

While sleeping rough, Davide would use jackets to keep warm and sit in Starbucks because it was open 24 hours. He lived off baguettes and canned tuna and would shower and brush his teeth at dance school. He didn’t confide in anyone at the time.

“Part of me was actually ashamed that I was struggling and I didn’t want to ask for help from my family because that would be admitting that they were right, that because I was gay I was never going to be anyone,” he said.

“During that time I felt like I was alone. I could only focus on getting by. Most of the time, I was scared. I didn’t know if anyone was going to wake me up. I could barely sleep most of the night, to be honest. Jackets were my best friends because that’s how I kept myself warm, and Starbucks.”

“I could barely sleep most of the night, to be honest. Jackets were my best friends because that’s how I kept myself warm, and Starbucks.”

After getting paid, Davide found a “shoebox” room to live in and worked two jobs around his studies. From Thursdays to Sundays, he would work all night at a club and then go straight to a morning shift at a bakery to pay his way.

Before he finished studying Davide manged to secure work as a dancer in musicals, which took him to London’s West End, but a career-ending injury meant he retrained as cabin crew for British airlines before appearing on MAFS.

Davide has now reconciled with his father, but says he wishes he had reached out for support when he experienced homelessness.

“I wish I could have talked to my parents. I wish I could have told them that I’m struggling, I need help. It’s not admitting defeat, it’s just admitting that you need support,” he said.

Davide has joined the EveryYouth team as a celebrity ambassador help young people experiencing homelessness across the UK find a path to independence. Davide met with young people living in supported accommodation in Surrey operated by EveryYouth’s Delivery Partner, the Amber Foundation. 

He urged young people experiencing homelessness to ask for help.

“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength,” he said. “No need to be ashamed of it. You don’t have to be scared. There are resources out there. There are charities out there that can help you out.

“[Experiencing homelessness] has changed me as a person. It made me realise how strong I am and no matter how low you get, there’s only one way, and it’s up. It’s never the end.”

More than 118,000 young people faced homelessness in the UK last year and the true number is likely to be much higher due to unreported and hidden homelessness.

“The most controversial [misconception about homelessness] for me is that we put ourselves in that situation. It’s not our fault. Life can happen and you end up in a position where you don’t have anywhere else to go,” Davide said.

“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. No need to be ashamed of it. You don’t have to be scared.”

“The response from the public about my story and where I come from has been really good. Hence why I wanted to make sure I find a charity that helps people that have been in the same position I was in.

“If the public would like to help young people then EveryYouth is the charity you should be supporting. This is the family that I will be supporting for a very, very long time. This is home.”

EveryYouth CEO Nicholas Connolly said: “Davide’s experience is shared by thousands of young people across the UK. It is estimated that at least 25% of young people who become homeless do so because their family reject them when they come out. We applaud his openness and hope his story will serve as encouragement and shed light on what is too often a misunderstood issue. Every young person can thrive if we take the time to understand why they became homeless and provide the support they need to overcome that trauma.”

Stephen Ballantyne, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Amber Foundation, said: “We enjoyed welcoming Davide to Amber Foundation’s Surrey centre, where he met some of the young people being supported by Amber. The Q&A in the lounge was a good chance for the staff team and young people to hear Davide’s personal story and his journey from homelessness in Paris, his many careers and now starring in a TV programme. As one of EveryYouth’s partner charities, it’s very exciting to hear Davide is EveryYouth’s new Ambassador.”