The empowering reveal came after the 43-year-old was fat-shamed online, as a shot himself in his leaner Prison Break days was laid against a more recent image of himself.
The caption read: "When you break out of prison and find out about McDonald's monopoly..."
And after seeing the nasty taunt, the actor who is set to reprise his iconic role later this year, posted the following response on Facebook:
“In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, I was suicidal.
“At the time I suffered in silence. As so many do. The extent of my struggle known to very, very few.
“Ashamed and in pain, I considered myself damaged goods. And the voices in my head urged me down the path to self-destruction.
“In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned to food. It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex.
“But eating became the one thing I could look forward to. Count on to get me through.
“And I put on weight. Big f--king deal.”
He goes on to explain that tabloids labelled him ‘From hunk to chunk’ and ‘Fit to Flab’, and his mother even got mailed clippings of such headlines. Brave Wentworth simply stated that dealing with this was the last thing he needed amidst mental health struggles.
He said:
“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.”
“The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning.
Read the full post here:
As explained, this is not the first time Wentworth has gone public with his mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts. In 2013, the Prison Break star also came out as gay, saying that dealing with his sexuality also contributed to his depression.
The star came out in response to Russia's anti-gay legislation, saying he wouldn’t attend the St. Peteresburg International Film Festival.
In an open letter, he wrote: "The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly."
He later spoke at a Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Seattle, saying he first attempted suicide at 15. He said:
"The first time I tried to kill myself I was 15...I waited until my family were away for the weekend and I was alone in the house and I swallowed a bottle of pills."
He told how he tried commit suicide multiple times because he couldn't handle keeping his sexual identity a secret.
Speaking to OUT magazine after the revelation, brave Mr Miller said:
"What I would say to that younger self — what I’d say to anyone who’s walked a similar road — is to focus less on the fact that you nearly ended your life and more on the fact that you survived, that you lived to tell the tale. And then tell it."
And later in an interview with Details magazine, he said:
"After Prison Break, I came to grips with the fact that my public persona was in misalignment with how I actually felt. I was out to a handful of people in my twenties, and once I hit 30, I was out to family and friends. But professionally, I was feeding a fantasy. I created this air of ‘We don't address that thing.'"
Well done for standing up to internet bullies Wentworth, and for the amazing journey you’ve been on!