Magician and reality star Apollo Jackson has returned to work as a sales assistant on the Gold Coast after struggling to find work.
The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise favourite, 26, is now working at Tommy Hilfiger after his magic show, Influence, failed to get off the ground.
WATCH: Apollo Jackson stars in an advertisement with Rose Byrne
“I’d just put a bunch of time and money into starting a stage show which I was really excited about, [but] unfortunately it didn’t work out,” he told the Daily Mail Australia.
“With the bills piling up I just wanted a good job to cover the bills while I work on the crazy stuff … I’m really lucky to have a good workplace to help my pay the bills while I keep trying to chase those dreams of being a full-time entertainer.”
It comes after Apollo, who became well-known on Sophie Monk’s season of The Bachelorette, revealed in May that it had been a “crappy few months” after “work dried up”.
“Entertainment has its ups and downs, I’ve had some amazing ups, but the last few months have challenged me intensely,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Works dried up. I’d had just two paying gigs this year, my phone, subscriptions both entertainment and work cut off for the last few months. My stage show I worked my ass off for six months on only sold 11 tickets so I had to cancel it.
“Training for my first MMA fight, I tore the ligaments in both arms and ruptured one of the tendons, unable to afford a dentist a nerve exposed broken tooth has made me unable to sleep most nights …
“Everything I’d been working on for 8+ months had been rejected, shut down or a failure.”
Determined to break the stigma that has a firm grip around mental health, Jackson told WHO that he’s now using his social media platform to promote awareness.
“I think there’s a stigma around it that I feel needs to be broken. We all have ups and downs and struggle mentally with different things whether your a stage performer or a labourer. So why should it be taboo to talk about it?”
If you need support or information about suicide prevention contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
