Dog the Bounty Hunter says he was left contemplating suicide after the death of his beloved wife Beth.

The famous bounty hunter and reality TV star - real name Duane Chapman - was devastated when he lost his wife to throat cancer in June this year.

Dog has admitted he wondered what would happen if he killed himself.

He was seen talking about having the thoughts on Wednesday night's episode of his show Dog's Most Wanted.

He said: "I just hope that I don't live very much longer without her."

The scenes were filmed less than 12 hours after Beth's tragic death.

Dog and beloved wife Beth (
Image:
David Howells/REX)

He fought back tears as he said: "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!' and she'd be like, would she go, 'You dumb ass, why did you do that?' or would she go, 'Wow, you're here!'"

Sources close to the star tell TMZ his dark thoughts have inspired him to encourage others feeling a similar way to seek help.

Dog recently paid tribute to Beth on what would have been her 52nd birthday.

It's reported he spent the day by himself crying and looking at old photos of her.

He's opened up about having suicidal thoughts (
Image:
Getty Images)

He was so heartbroken when she died that he was rushed to hospital with severe chest pains.

The couple married in 2006, and they had two children together, Bonnie and Garry.

Dog also adopted Beth's daughter Cecily.

On June 26th, Dog announced Beth's passing with the tweet: "It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain.

He's struggled to cope since his wife's tragic death (
Image:
Getty Images)

"Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."

* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org