Home And Away alum Mat Stevenson has revealed that he was drugged and raped when he was just 18 years old.
Mat, who played Adam Cameron in Summer Bay from 1989 to 1994, made the bombshell revelation on Spotlight: The Fame Game on Sunday night.
The 53-year-old said he had “suppressed it and suffered in silence” for a long time but chose to speak out following the death of his friend and former co-star Dieter Brummer.
The 53-year-old said he had “suppressed it and suffered in silence” for a long time.
(Image: Seven)“I’m a bit uncomfortable opening up about my life because not many people know about it, but if it’s going to help someone, that whole notion of being vulnerable, then I’m all for it,” he revealed.
“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.
Mat played Adam Cameron in Summer Bay from 1989 to 1994.
(Image: Seven)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.'”
WATCH: Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven speak out on Spotlight: The Fame Game. Story continues after video.
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.
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