Dr Phil accused of exploiting Shelley Duvall’s mental illness in upcoming interview

TALK show host Dr Phil has been accused of exploiting a clearly unwell Shelley Duvall, who says she believes Robin Williams is still alive in a new interview.

TALK show host Dr Phil McGraw has been accused of exploiting Hollywood star Shelley Duvall in a controversial new interview.

Previews for the segment, which is set to screen in the US tomorrow, refer to “a star’s descent into mental illness” and show the 67-year-old actress saying she is “very sick” and that she needs help.

In the clip, Duvall claims she does not think her Popeye co-star Robin Williams is dead.

When asked what she thinks Williams is doing now, she says “Shapeshifting”, and when asked if she sees him, she replies: “Have, yes”.

Williams committed suicide in August 2014.

In other quick excerpts from the clip, Duvall refers to being threatened by “the Sherriff of Nottingham” and claims she has a “whirring disc” inside her body.

Social media users were quick to condemn Dr Phil for the interview.

Shame on @DrPhil for exploiting poor #shelleyduvall ! She is clearly ill and deserves real help and love away from the cameras! Disgusting!

— Roger Conners (@TheScreamQueer) November 17, 2016

TWENTY-SIXTEEN you are already terrible beyond my wildest dreams—I didn't need to know where Shelley Duvall is at

— Brusque Papa (@masonpitzel) November 17, 2016

Can someone who is NOT just trying to exploit a woman's illness for ratings check on #ShelleyDuvall? Is that a thing we can make happen?

— EnchantinglyStabby🔪 (@linnieloowho) November 17, 2016

Duvall appeared in a number of high-profile films in the 1970s and early 1980s, including Popeye, Annie Hall and The Shining.

According to Hollywood legend, Duvall was brought to the brink of her sanity during the filming of The Shining, partly because of director Stanley Kubrick’s incessant demands.

Shelley Duvall in a scene from the film The Shining.

In an interview with the film reviewer Roger Ebert, Duvall admitted that working on the horror flick was “almost unbearable”.

“In my character I had to cry 12 hours a day, all day long, the last nine months straight, five or six days a week,” she said, describing it as “day after day of excruciating work”.

If you or someone you love is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

Young people aged 5 to 25 years can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800