Mitch Hewer has opened up about his mental health battle after "hiding away" from life in the public eye.
Mitch Hewer
The former 'Skins' actor - who played Maxxie Oliver between 2007 and 2008 - decided to take a step back from the likes of YouTube and Instagram after struggling with "depression and anxiety" following a string of personal and professional "set backs".
In a candid Instagram post, he wrote: "For many years now people always ask me why I stopped posting, being active online or why I stopped my YouTube channel and decide to hide.
"The answer is something had been creeping up on me and my ability to be creative started to lack more and more every day, insecurity took the place of confidence and my self belief and self esteem slowly drifted away.
"Those things that had been knocking on my door were depression and anxiety. I had experienced more set backs in my personal life and more rejections from work than I could handle. The only thing I knew what to do was to hide away, so I did."
The 29-year-old star continues to struggle with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) "every day", but he "finally decided to stop listening" to voices questioning why he's here.
He added: "Don't get me wrong, this didn't happen over night, wasn't as easy as turning off a light, it took a very long time. I'd been in a dark place, the darkest.
"So to fast forward to right now, I am not perfect, I am far from perfect and in all honesty I don't wanna be perfect anymore, it was exhausting. I realised there's a reason to be here.
"Life is a beautiful gift, you just have to let yourself see it. Acknowledge the small things that bring you joy in each day, Don't look for happiness because you will fail, just notice the little things that make you smile and feel alive. (sic)"