Former ‘Coronation Street’ actor Chris Fountain has opened up about his battle with depression after being axed from the soap.
Chris Fountain has opened up about his depression battle
The 34-year-old actor played Tommy Duckworth in the ITV show until he was sacked back in 2013 after a video of him rapping about rape was leaked online, and he has said his actions, which he is “ashamed” of, have left him with “bleak” career prospects.
Speaking on ‘Mancs on the Mic’ podcast, he told his former 'Corrie' co-star Ryan Thomas: “I've been in some very dark, horrible places, to the point where I realised I needed to start changing the way that I was thinking – otherwise I might not have been here.
“My life, my job, my image, my reputation – everything was just ripped away. Within 24 hours. I didn't leave my house for four days.
“I'd never been this discombobulated before. I was meant to go on 'This Morning' and then that got cancelled because they didn't want me on there. After a while, I was like, 'I think I'm going through depression here.' "
Despite being offered a few acting roles, such as in 2018 show ‘Girlfriends’ and some regional plays, Chris admits his future as an actor looks tough.
He added: “As much as I like to say everything’s alright and everything’s cool, work-wise at the moment, it’s bleak.
"Am I not getting jobs because of that [the scandal], or am I not getting jobs because I’m not as good an actor as I once thought I was? I don’t know if I’ll ever find that answer.”
But the former ‘Hollyoaks’ star remains hopeful that someday he’ll make a comeback.
He added: “I’ve been really upset and really angry and really frustrated, but now, I kind of just don’t give a f*** anymore. I can’t do anything else. Just because that happened, I can’t just go, ‘Right, I need to stop being an actor now’. I’ve been an actor since I was 10 years old.”
Tagged in Chris Fountain Ryan Thomas