Hollyoaks actor Adam Rickitt has admitted that his own mental health struggles helped to prepare him for his current storyline on the Channel 4 soap.
In recent episodes, Rickitt's character Kyle has become the first person to recognise that best mate Darren (Ashley Taylor Dawson) has been suffering from depression in silence for months.
Kyle then revealed that he had battled with his own suicidal thoughts in the past in scenes that have had a personal resonance for Rickitt.
"Mental health's something I've been campaigning about for over 20 years," he told TV Life. "It can never be addressed too much.
"I've been an advocate for discussing mental health and also a counsellor. I've also gone through stuff in my own life so I feel well versed to be able to give a voice to what's an incredibly important message.
"That's not to say I know everything, so I spoke to researchers but the majority of it has come from personal experience and from other people's experiences I've heard about through counselling them."
Hollyoaks continues Mondays and Tuesdays on Channel 4 and E4.
Neil Wilkes
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