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"Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours – just a friendly wave each morning, helps to make a better day," – so say the sugar-sweet lyrics to the theme song of the iconic Australian soap, Neighbours.
If only life was really that easy, thinks Paul Keane, who played loveable Des Clarke on the show back in the 1980s.
For Paul, now 65, hit rock bottom when he should have been enjoying the height of his fame, and even his co-stars Guy Pearce (who played Mike) and Craig McLachlan (Henry) couldn't help make it a better day.
Plagued by drink, drugs and mental health issues, Paul lost everything – his home, his family and his acting career.
Paul was one of the 12 original Neighbours characters created by TV producer Reg Watson, and starred in Neighbours from its very first episode, in March 1985.
Catapulted to fame both in the UK and his native Australia, life should have been great for the young actor, whose character famously married his stripper girlfriend, Daphne, in a fairytale TV wedding.
Yet, after leaving the show in 1990, he was hit by terrible depression, at a time when mental illness wasn't openly discussed like it is today.
Speaking in 2015, he told Australia's Herald Sun: “I have no filter anymore. The last bastion of taboo is mental health and I think it’s important to be honest about it. I have been to hell.
“I have seen things you wouldn’t believe, been in hospitals that are like horror stories. But I have survived.”
Paul told how he self-medicated to cope with his problems after leaving the soap, using alcohol, painkillers and amphetamines. He also attempted to take his own life.
Although old cast mates reached out, Paul said he was too sick for anyone to help him.
It wasn't until 2006, that he started getting some psychiatric help, as he said doctors were so focused on treating his addictions, they failed to address the underlying causes.
Hi struggles began when he first started acting in Neighbours, with the pressure of fame and the demands of shooting a daily soap affecting his health.
"It was winter and I was doing these early calls and working such long days," he said to the Herald Sun. "I would go home at night and just cry."
And for years after he left, he could have nothing to do with Neighbours, as it brought back such painful memories.
But he finally returned to the show where he found fame. First in 2015, to help
, again in 2021, and finally in 2022 for its then-final ever episode.
Late last year it was announced that the soap is set to make a return to Amazon Freevee, and new episodes will be on air from this September.
The OC star Mischa Barton was spotted on set, and other names returning include Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) and Annie Jones (Jane Harris).The cast even shared behind-the-scenes pics of filming.
However, there's no sign, yet, of Paul.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch.
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