Dan Ewing is most known in Australia for his role as Heath Braxton on Home and Away, although he has also worked in the film business.
The actor, who is now acting in SAS Australia, recently reminisced on his rise to prominence as well as his mental health issues.
Dan confessed in an interview with the Imperfectly Perfect Podcast this week that when he initially joined the cast of Home and Away in 2007, he suffered with anxiety and turned to drink to cope.
“I had a lot of trouble. I was only a child from [Sydney’s] northern beaches, so to suddenly become famous on Australia’s largest programme, Home and Away… I wasn’t prepared “he stated.
“At the time, my partner wasn’t ready, and I didn’t realise it, but I was suffering from anxiety.”
Dan, who was 25 at the time, continued by saying that he used booze to cope with his celebrity.
“You mask it as ‘Oh, that’s just blowing off steam,’ and we’ve all done it. But I didn’t realise there was a better method, a better procedure, since that was just the way things were done around here “he stated
He went on to say that while learning on the job was fun, it was “not conducive to a great relationship, a great marriage, or a wonderful lifestyle,” and that he was still working and “kicking goals at work.”
“It wasn’t like I was a full-fledged alcoholic,” the 36-year-old explained, “but I was just getting drunk on weekends to alleviate this tension that I just wasn’t ready for.”
He stated he was “extremely thankful” for the position and the success of Home and Away and the characters, adding, “I wasn’t ready for celebrity – I just wasn’t.”
“But I wasn’t ready, and I didn’t know what mental health was or how important it was to take care of that things first.”
After a decade, Dan has resorted to meditation, writing, and a “process” to help him deal with his mental health, which we’ve seen on SAS.
Dan stated that he came on the programme to “become a better version of myself” when asked why he came in the first place.
Dan also mentioned in a piece-to-camera that he would be without his “meditation music” and candles while through the rigorous selection process.
