"I lost 10 years of my life." Jacqui Lambie's devastating account of her suicide attempt.

Trigger warning: This post deals with suicide and may be triggering for some readers.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has endured a torrid life away from her career in politics, struggles she’s addressed in the media to encourage an all-important dialogue on mental health.

Her past has been dotted with tragedy; her son’s ice addiction, her own struggle with alcohol addiction, a stint in a psychiatric ward, and a time when life seemed too unbearable to carry on.

On Tuesday night’s episode, the I’m A Celebrity contestant laid bare the emotional turmoil of the years leading up to the devastating day she stepped out in front of a car in an attempt at suicide.

In 2009, Lambie, suffering back pain that led to a medical discharge from the army in 2000, was so consumed with pain and felt so hopeless because of a legal battle with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs over her military disability pension, she decided to take her own life.

During a conversation with journalist Natasha Exelby and model Justin Lacko, Lambie discussed her discharge from the army, and the ensuing legal dispute which led to her darkest days.

“I should have been one of the first girls to go to East Timor but the day before, I was stuffed,” Lambie says. “I’d been stuffed for two years, I’d been filling myself full of pain killers.”

“That’s why I hate them and that is why I take them on,” Lambie told campmates about the department.

“It cost them double the amount to fight me,” she says. “Your taxpayers’ money was wasted and I lost 10 years of my life and I nearly lost my life in 2009 by walking out in front of a car. You wouldn’t believe I had to walk out in front of a car for them to help me.”

Mia Freedman speaks to Jacqui Lambie on No Filter. Post continues after.

Lambie received psychiatric care for two years after the incident, with the department finally coming to her aid.

“Once I walked out in front of car they started to give me help, so I spent the next two years in and out of a psych unit, I think I spent about 28 weeks there,” Lambie explained.

And two years on from the day her care ended, she represented Tasmania as a federal senator to fight for what she believes in. It was what ultimately helped herself pull free from the depths of depression.

“The day I won my seat in parliament… exactly two years before was my last day in a psych unit. You see, I keep telling you they’re nuts up there in Canberra. I fit in very well there,” she joked.

Now – her scars remain a constant reminder of her tireless fight to improve the lives of fellow war veterans, with a particular focus on mental health care.

“The amount of blokes have PTSD… we have about 100 suicides each year,” she said.

“Because my leg hit [the car] first, I have a big [scar]… I refuse to get it fixed, because it reminds me of what I’m fighting for,” Lambie added.

“I just refuse to. That got me help. So I rehabilitated myself.”

Twitter threw their support behind the senator during the emotional outpour, applauding her passion for the rights of veterans:

Jacqui’s story is heartbreaking, our veterans deserve the world #ImACelebrityAU

— Kiera (@UnderYourPorch) January 15, 2019

Say what you want about @JacquiLambie but her passions for #veterans is fantastic. #auspol #ImACelebrityAU

— kiki_s27 (@s27_kiki) January 15, 2019

I am very proud to have served our ADF, but have lost many friends to mental health. If @JacquiLambie can shine even just the littlest bit of light on it, then that’s a win! #ImACelebrityAU #CelebJacquie

— Reannon Johnson (@reannonjohnson) January 15, 2019

The episode saw fellow politician Sam Dastyari similarly open up about his career and how it affected his personal life.

He called himself an “arrogant prick” for becoming so consumed in politics and turning his back on his family, leading to his separation from his wife of eight years, Helen ­Barron.

“I look back now, and I was an arrogant prick. I was out of control. And when it came crashing down, it all crashed. And the hard bit there is accepting that I am completely responsible for my own downfall,” the former Labor senator told the campsite.

“My problem was, I had one thing in my life and it was everything. Like, everything was my politics… I threw my family away for my politics and that’s one of my big regrets.”

He went on to touch on the Chinese donations scandal and alleged business links to the Chinese government which led to him sensationally quitting politics in 2016.

“I blew everything up. Going through the scandal stuff, Helen was really supportive until we got through. And then when we got to the end of it, when I was out, there was nothing there. So I moved out. I think she kind of deserves to have a life.”

He added that he will never return to politics.

“When you’re done you’re done,” he said.

“It is all self-inflicted, I destroyed my own career. I destroyed my own family. I became a selfish asshole and I paid a huge price for that, and I kind of deserved to.”

Support can be found at Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.