Rob Mills admits he thought of committing suicide after ‘Australian Idol’
Thirteen years after taking the stage the first season of “Australian Idol,” finalist Rob Mills reveals that he contemplated suicide after the singing competition.
The 34-year-old actor, host and singer sat down for an interview with Maz Compton on Yahoo7, wherein he discussed the sensitive issue. He confessed that after his stint in “Australian Idol,” he entertained the thought of taking his own life. “That was the worst, I freaked out,” Mills said. “I contemplated suicide only once in my life, and that was the week after I finished ‘Idol .’”
Fortunately, Mills came to his senses and has since been in a good place. In fact, he’s an ambassador for R U OK? Day, an annual practice dedicated to remind people to ask family, friends and colleagues the question, “R U OK?” It is spearheaded by a not-for-profit suicide prevention organisation founded by Australian ad man Gavin Larkin in 2009. R U OK? Day falls this year on Sep.8.
Mills, who just finished the stage production of “Ghost,” said that the experience made him reassess what’s important in life. “I think it’s the worst thing to ever hear from a child’s mouth, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ “I want to be famous,” he told Yahoo7. “I don’t think you should ever want to be just famous. I think you should want to travel to the moon, you should want to design something the world has never seen before. Or be an elite athlete, or a scientist, or a politician.”
He also imparted an extremely important piece of advice. “Surround yourself with people who help you with that, even if it’s just a mate, or a psychologist, psychiatrist. I’m a massive advocate of that as well,” he shared.
In December last year, Mills also admitted that he was introduced to drugs after his “Australian Idol” fame. [READ: “Rob Mills on Paris Hilton, taking drugs and being ‘just a little bit gay’”] “I am completely against recreational drugs, but cocaine is a hell of a drug,” Mills told Em Rusciano during her “Deeply Shallow” podcast. He added that he was 21 years old when he first travelled out of Melbourne, which translated to a huge attraction for drugs. He considered himself a “yes” person and has done all kinds of drugs.
After “Australian Idol,” Mills appeared in various television shows such as “The Mint,” “The Singing Bee,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Young Talent Time.” He also enjoyed success in theatre, scoring the lead male role in the hugely successful production of “Wicked” and “Ghost,” as well as other popular musicals.