"I was basically drugged and raped and dragged into a spa and thought I was going to drown, and then woke up naked somewhere."
Mat said that the incident happened the day before he landed the role of Skinner on Neighbours.
"I was 18. And then I won my role in Neighbours the next day. I was a pretty fit guy back then too, but when you're paralysed there's nothing you can do," he continued.
The former soap star said he engaged in "toxic behaviours" like drinking and gambling as a way of suppressing his trauma.
"I basically wanted to find the bottom as quickly as I could, and I got there pretty quickly," he said.
"When you're backing slow racehorses and drinking a lot, they're two vices that'll get you where you want to go pretty quickly. And when I found the bottom, I rang my brother up to snip him for some cash, and he said, 'Aren't you tired of making sh*t decisions?' And I said, 'Yeah. I am, mate. I think I am.'"
Thankfully, Mat has come out the other side with a "bloody good life now".
"My greatest role has been [as] a dad. I've come through it. So [Dieter's] death ripped my heart out and I just don't want to lose another bloke. So, if you're suffering, reach out is the message," he said.
Spotlight: The Fame Game is hosted by Cameron Daddo and Home and Away's Ada Nicodemou and Cameron Daddo, and gives Aussie stars the chance to share their highs and lows of life in the spotlight.
This article first appeared on our sister site, Now To Love.
