"In my life, I've had several people close to me commit suicide, and even a couple of people where I was the last person that they ever spoke to,” the reality-TV star tells WHO.
RELATED: EXCLUSIVE - Dean Wells is dating an Australian actress
“I’ve looked back on those times and thought, ‘Maybe if I said this and maybe if I said that, maybe if I was more supportive, maybe if I was a bit more receptive to their situation, they wouldn’t have killed themselves,’ ” says Dean, 41.
“When I hear now that someone is in that situation, where they’re talking about killing themselves or being really depressed, I will go out of my way to try to check in on them, ask them how they are, show them support.”
And one person he reached out to is his former TV wife, Tracey Jewel, 35, who found herself struggling with mental-health issues after a very public break-up with her ex- boyfriend Patrick Kedemos.
“I saw Tracey was struggling. We don’t talk that often, but when I heard that was happening, I made an effort to call her. I called her while she was overseas; I called her while she was in her hotel room waiting to get a flight. She told me the whole story.”
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
For more from Dean Wells, pick up the latest copy of WHO on sale now