Warning: This story deals with mental health, anxiety and depression, and could be triggering for some readers.

From the outside looking in, Sam Frost has led a charmed life.

The bubbly Melburnian was chosen as the "winner" on reality dating showThe Bachelorin 2014 - yes, she was unceremoniously dumped by Bachelor Blake Garvey a few days after, but she was then crowned Australia's firstBachelorettethe following year. It was a very positive vehicle for her, and she endeared herself to the nation.

Frost parlayed her reality TV stint into a radio show with Rove McManus in November 2015. While the show ended in January 2017 after intense scrutiny and failed ratings [numerous hosts have tried and failed to revive the breakfast radio slot vacated by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O], by December that same year Frost had scored the role of Jasmine Delaney on popular soap dramaHome and Away.

Despite some initial blowback, critics and fans alike lauded her performance and she was nominated for a Best Newcomer Logie in 2018.

In the years since, it seemed Frost was thriving in her new career and forging friendships and romantic relationships with ease.

But appearances can be deceiving - perhaps even more so in this age of curated social media posts.

The actor, who has openly discussed her struggles with mental health, admits that she was struggling immensely last year.

"I had the job I loved, I had a beautiful home, I've got my dogs... and I remember feeling in my core, I'm just not happy," she tellsMamamia. "I would spend the weekends alone at home with the curtains drawn and I'd sleep all day because I was struggling with my depression and my mental health.

"People assume that because you have a job on the TV or you've got this beautiful life displayed on social media or in the media, they think, 'how can you struggle with mental health?' But mental health doesn't discriminate. Anyone can struggle with it."

Isolated and alone, without the normal distractions of work, gym, and seeing her friends and family, Frost's mental state began to deteriorate.

"All of a sudden you're forced to hold a mirror up to yourself," the 32-year-old says. "And so all these things bubble up to the surface that you haven't dealt with. All the dark stuff bubbled to the surface for a few people."

It was during this mental maelstrom that Frost uploaded a video to Instagram revealing that she had not yet been vaccinated and asked for compassion and understanding for those who were in the same camp as her.

Australia erupted. Damnation came swift and fast from both media personalities and the general public. Frost left Instagram (she's back on it now) and kept a low profile.

To clarify, she is now fully vaccinated. She underwent a medical procedure - that she does not wish to disclose - before getting her vaccinations late last year.

"We need to be kind and compassionate to each other because you don't know why people have been making the choices they're making. That's my value as a human