Actor Wentworth Miller has opened up publicly about his battle with depression, after a body-shaming photo of him went viral on Monday.
A picture of the former "Prison Break" actor wearing a red shirt and smiling, was shared on news site The LAD Bible's Facebook page, along with the tagline, "When you break out of prison and find out about McDonald's monopoly..."
The comment refers to Miller's character on the show, a man who gets himself into prison only to break his brother out. However, with a side-by-side photo of Miller topless and the one with his red shirt, the meme was clearly pointing out his weight.
And while celebrities are used to be the subject of memes, Miller said this one hit home.
"In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons," he wrote on Facebook, noting he was suicidal, something that he has discussed in the past.
"I've struggled with depression since childhood. It's a battle that's cost me time, opportunities, relationships, and a thousand sleepless nights."
Miller continues to write 2010 was the lowest point in his adult life, and for comfort, relief and distraction, he turned to food.
"It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. But eating became the one thing I could look forward to," he wrote. "There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of TOP CHEF. Sometimes that was enough."
The LAD Bible, issued a formal apology to the actor on Facebook, noting that mental health was no joke or laughing matter.
"We posted two pictures of you last night to our Facebook page, but today we want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong," they wrote. "We certainly didn’t want to cause you pain by reminding you of such a low point in your life. Causing distress and upset to innocent or vulnerable people is simply not acceptable."
And when the 43-year-old actor saw the meme for the first time, he does admit it hurt. However, it also reminded him of his progress so far.
"Now, when I see that image of me in my red t-shirt, a rare smile on my face, I am reminded of my struggle. My endurance and my perseverance in the face of all kinds of demons. Some within. Some without."
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