Watching Nick Cummins onThe Sunday Projectlast night, it didn’t take an expert to identify that this was a man mentally exhausted – broken – in many ways, from the turmoil of his experience asThe Bachelor.

The 31-year-old rugby star, who is known for his upbeat and quirky personality, looked visibly shaken, choosing his words carefully and seemingly fighting back tears as he thoughtfully explained his decision to walk away from the franchise without choosing a contestant – a decision which resulted in a vicious pile-on from the Australian public and tabloids.

Just days after returning from Papua New Guinea, where he was accosted byA Current Affairat his hotel, Nick appeared onThe Projectfor the second time sinceThe Bachelor’ssensational finale aired.

The Honey Badger chats about his low mental space during the show, knocks some tabloid headlines on the head, plus he has a message for Brittany and Sophie. #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/cDA1aNIRfr

— The Project (@theprojecttv) October 14, 2018

Now, the Daily Mail is reporting the segment was pre-recorded, despite initial advertisements suggesting it would be live.

The publication reports that panel member Tommy Little addressed the studio audience after the recording, telling them Nick’s nerves had almost led to him pulling the plug on the appearance altogether.

He told spectators: “Honestly he’s a beautiful man! It’s the most depressed he’s been. It was heartbreaking to see.”

“He was genuinely so nervous… he wouldn’t have been able to do the interview live I don’t think. Otherwise he would have probably freaked out and said f**k on-air!” he added.

MamamiacontactedThe Project’spublicity team this morning to confirm Tommy’s comments, but has not yet received a response.

During the interview, Nick revealed details of the dark mental space he was left in six months ago when filming of theBachelorended, after he’d been thrown into an artificial environment and told to find love whilst having to keep his emotions to himself.

Before the segment aired, Tommy – who joked with Nick throughout the interview to keep him at ease – had also told the live audience that two assistants were on-hand for support. He would often stop to check in with them throughout the interview, asking if his answers were OK.

Earlier in the recording of the program, a Channel 10 crew-member had explained to the audience that Nick’s choice to pre-record his interview was because “he’s not in a good place as a person” and is “not doing well.”

“He decided last minute he didn’t want to speak in front of an audience.

“We’ve all been in places where we’re not doing well,” the crew member added.

Nick ended the candid discussion on the fragility of mental health within the public sphere with a message urging young viewers to stay true to themselves.

Taking to Instagram after the interview aired, he thanked the public for their words of support – support he’s only begun to receive after weeks of vitriol.