Channel 10
Despite winning Australia over on Sophie Monk’s season of The Bachelorette and continuing to impress the masses with his gentle nature and kind heart on Bachelor in Paradise, in recent months, Apollo Jackson has dealt with a hefty bout of rejection which in turn, has deeply affected his mental health.
“The last few months have just been a bit tough mentally,” he tells WHO exclusively.
“Whether you’re a magician, actor or artist, you have these times where you’re super busy and then super quiet which is when I normally get a casual job to tie the bills through to the next busy time, but I just couldn’t nail a job this time.”
While dealing with the loss of his beloved grandma, struggling to find work and trying to ball his bills, the entertainer suffered another blow— he had to cancel his upcoming magic show—which he says he’d worked tirelessly on— after selling just a handful of tickets.
“When I had to announce the show’s cancellation, it was really hard for me,” he candidly admits. “I’d had a really quiet year with functions and gigs magic wise, so I’d put everything into this stage show. I wrote and produced it, wrote and recorded the music for the show, hand made all the props, designed the poster and booked the theatre. So announcing that I had to cancel it because I’d only sold eleven tickets after working on it for six to seven months was really hard.”
Rather than sweeping it under the rug and pretending his life was on track, Jackson told the hundreds of thousands of people who follow him on Instagram what’s really been going on behind the scenes, admitting there was a point in time where he was so broke, he couldn’t afford to go to the dentist.
“I just thought instead of making up an excuse that made things sound rosy I’d be honest and throw up a post breaking the mask I put on and let people know that everyone struggles mentally and it’s ok to talk about your feelings,” the 26-year-old says. “It’s been a crappy few months but there’s always a bigger picture and positives you can take from it. It’s ok to talk to your friends about how you’re feeling And what you’re struggling with.”
In his lengthy Instagram post, Jackson wrote: “During this time I’ve met people I otherwise wouldn’t have, discovered and developed skills I never would have, gained a network of friends and support I never would have, learnt a new level of resourcefulness, built some epic things with some extraordinary people and realised that what I’m going through isn’t really that bad.”
He continued: “If you’re struggling with something it’s ok to talk about how your feeling with your mates and family we all have struggles. I’m excited for whatever lies around the corner and determined as ever, watch this space!”
Determined to break the stigma that has a firm grip around mental health, Jackson says he’s now using his platform to promote awareness.
“I think there’s a stigma around it that I feel needs to be broken. We all have ups and downs and struggle mentally with different things whether your a stage performer or a labourer. So why should it be taboo to talk about it?”
“The reality is for me, sponsored Instagram posts weren’t sustainable enough and I really wanted a full time job/career.”
“After we stopped filming, I was in bed for about a month so I was just full of anxiety. As soon as I went outside there were panic attacks, stuff like that. It was unfortunate,” she revealed. “Then, after it [the series] aired, I had a total meltdown and basically stayed in bed for a month.”
If you need support or information about suicide prevention contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
