It wasn’t until 2016, after Ben Steel had returned from living overseas for nine years, that he hit rock bottom and realised how anxious and depressed he was.

His career had started so well. He landed his first big acting break at the age of 25 when he was cast as Jude Lawson in Home and Away. He loved being part of the show, was nominated for a Best New Talent Logie, and featured in countless magazine spreads. Life was good.

Then, after two and a half years on screen, his character was written out of the soap opera. He was devastated but tried to shrug it off. He moved to Europe where he worked sporadically, then after nine years away, he decided to return home, but he found it difficult to find work here. And that’s when it hit.

Ben Steel. Photographs supplied

“I really struggled to get back on track here, and find work whether it was behind the scenes or in front of the camera. That’s probably where my struggle started to develop a little bit. I wasn’t fully aware of my depression and just how down I was,” says Steel.

He was...