health

Ruby Rose reflects on her struggles with her mental health.

If there’s anything Ruby Rose would like us to know, it’s that mental health issues can affect anyone, even those in the public eye who seem to have it all.

The 29-year-old model and actress has been very open about her battles with mental illness, previously speaking about her struggles with bipolar disorder and her time spent in rehab.

RELATED:The signs of depression we rarely notice.

“I’m a great actor. I’m pretty badarse and I looked like things didn’t affect me, but I’m a super-sensitive person and I didn’t believe in myself,” Rose told News Limited.

“I was so desperate for that time off… I needed to go to the States and work on ‘me’. I had to get control over this mental illness.” (Post continues after gallery.)

In 2013, before entering rehab, Ruby took to Twitter to announce: “It is with great sadness that despite everything I have tried in the short time I was given I am still losing my battle with depression… these things need attention sometimes.”

The revealing tweet was not the first time Ruby has spoken publically about her battles, previously speaking about childhood sexual abuse, the bullying she experienced as a teenager, and a suicide attempt at age 12, at a time when she came out as being gay.

Related: 7 physical signs of stress you’re probably not aware of.

The reason Ruby keeps us updated with her mental health progress? She wants to help others going through similar circumstances.

“I can’t take the good part of the job without telling people who I actually am,” she said.

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“I think we owe people something. After all, it’s the people [as the audience] who allow us to do these great things. As I got older, I realised a lot of people were going through [the same issues]. Being honest about being bullied in school and my bipolar was not so much of a ‘do I or don’t I?’; it was waiting for the right time. Even before I knew what making a mark on the world meant, I knew I wanted to make a difference.”

RELATED:How you can help someone suffering from fear or anxiety

According to The Black Dog Institute, one in five Australians aged 16 to 85 experience a mental illness every year, and almost half (45 per cent) of us will experience a mental illness at some point in our lives. The most common mental illnesses are depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders.

Ruby and Phoebe. (Image via Instagram.)

 

“I’m stable, my feet are on the ground and I have a great support network. I’m not fearful of [fame]," Rose says of her current mental state.

As well as acting, touring as a DJ and helping her partner, Phoebe Dahl, out with her fashion line, Ruby told News Limited she is busy planning her wedding to Phoebe.

"We all have the ability to love unconditionally and I worked out that the only way you can have a successful relationship is if you love unconditionally and take the risk," she said.

Related: Larry Emdur: “I wanted to give Sylvie back the young, healthy body she married two decades ago.”

Thanks for your courage and your wisdom, Ruby.