Sam Frost has opened up about her decision to leave the Channel Seven series Home and Away earlier this month.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, the 32-year-old actress, who joined the cast as Jasmine Delaney in 2017, pondered on her departure from the coveted role.
‘I quit my ideal job at Home And Away to focus on my mental health,’ Sam stated on the Believe by Sam Frost mental health awareness Instagram page.
‘I needed to take a breather, return home, and spend time with my family.’ Most essential, I must look after my health and well-being.
‘Now I spend my days with the people I care about, doing the things I’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t because I was too preoccupied with work.’
Sam went on to list the sacrifices she had to make while keeping up with her busy Home and Away filming schedule.
‘I spent 4.5 years being a distant friend, a distant girlfriend, a sister who couldn’t be there for big milestone moments,’ she admitted.
‘Now, I’m making up for lost time. I’m prioritising my health and my relationships.’
Sam also admitted she’s felt anxious about her finances after quitting the lucrative role, writing: ‘Sometimes I wake up and panic about money, work and being able to afford my mortgage.
‘But then I remind myself the importance of putting our mental health first, and taking time out to heal our mind, body & soul. The rest will fall into place.’
Last month, the former Bachelorette recorded her farewell scenes for Home and Away at Eveleigh Studios in Sydney.
Since then, the actress has relocated to Melbourne in order to be closer to her friends and family.
Sam got her first acting job in 2017 when she joined the cast of Home and Away, where she began her media career as a contestant on The Bachelor.
Some industry insiders described the choice to hire the reality star as “disappointing” and a “publicity stunt” at the time.
One actor claimed that hiring a “unqualified” TV personality was a “insult to trained actors,” and that she had “taken [the role] from those who attended NIDA.”
Summer Bay alumni Charles Cottier was trained by acting coach Brendan Glanville, according to the Courier-Mail.
Mr Glanville, the artistic director of Australian Acting Academy, said: ‘It demonstrates that Home and Away has lost faith in its writers if directors are resorting to this kind of stunt, rather than using their story lines to pull viewers.’
While acknowledging Sam may have a ‘natural ability’, he added: ‘This is what’s known as ‘jumping the shark’ – in other words attempting to create publicity for something that is perceived as not warranting the attention, especially something that is believed to be past its peak.’
Paul O’Brien, who played Jack Holden on Home And Away from 2005 to 2008 and is now an acting coach, was less critical but agreed Sam had landed the role ‘because she’s a personality’ and not necessarily because of her acting talent.
In a statement at the time, Channel Seven defended casting Sam in a recurring role despite her lack of acting credentials.
‘Sam’s audition blew us away,’ said the spokesperson.
‘In joining the cast of Home and Away, Sam will be in great company and is about to enjoy a wonderful phase of her career.’
