A STATUE of Winston Churchill was fitted with a straightjacket emblazoned with the word ‘Depression’ in a publicity stunt to promote a TV station.

The iconic statue on the Green in Woodford Green was kitted out on July 18 to launch Channel 4’s ‘4 goes Mad’ season.

Churchill, who represented the old Woodford constituency as an MP, referred to his frequent bouts of depression as ‘The Black Dog’.

His statue in Parliament Square, as well as statues of other notable figures including Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin, was also fitted with a straightjacket.

In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames blasted Channel Four as ‘contemptible’ over the stunt.

But Joe Wade from marketing company ‘Don’t Panic’ said: “We were very careful not to damage the statue when we were fitting the jacket and we removed it after we had taken a picture.

“This was all about saying ‘look here’s a great leader who happened to suffer from depression.'”

And Jane Harris, Associate Director of mental health charity Rethink said: “Churchill in a straightjacket is a provocative but powerful image which highlights the message that mental illness can affect anyone, no matter how able or successful."

This is not the first time the Churchill statue on the Green has been targeted by pranksters.

Earlier this year passers-by were bemused to see the statue sporting a purple wig which mysteriously appeared on the day students from nearby schools finished their A levels.

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