“I was shocked,” says Tziporah Malkah of James Packer’s surprise resignation

Billionaire James Packer resigned as director of Crown Resorts yesterday due to mental health concerns, and his ex-fiancée Tziporah Malkah was quick to publicly support him.

He “suffers from mental health issues,” a spokesman for Consolidated Press Holdings, another of Mr Packer’s companies, confirmed yesterday.

Crown executive chairman John Alexander said in a statement: “We value James’ contribution to the board and respect his decision to step down as a director at this time.”

Appearing on Sunrise this morning, Tziporah Malkah (aka Kate Fischer) says she didn’t notice any signs of depression or anxiety during their relationship, but thinks it’s a “good thing” that he’s honest about his issues now.

“It’s good that James has explained why he’s stepping down, because of the stigma that still exists around mental health issues.”

“I was shocked. For a man so passionate (about his job), he must be really, really suffering.”

Watch the full interview above.