Heartbroken radio star in tears for weeks
FUNNYMAN Wil Anderson has revealed he was so devastated by the break-up of his long-term relationship that he couldn't stop crying for six weeks.
The well-known television, radio and stand-up comedian has written light-heartedly about his need to seek help from a counsellor to sort out his problems.
Anderson said he began feeling low after he split with his girlfriend of six years, Amy Williamson, at the end of last year.
"I've not been having the best trot in my personal life of late and recently found myself having a streak where I cried at least once a day for almost six weeks," Anderson said.
"It reached the point where, every time a pizza delivery boy arrived at the house, I had to pretend I'd just been chopping onions or watching the end of The English Patient."
Anderson, 34, who co-hosts the Wil & Lehmo radio show on Triple M, as well as new ABC television series The Gruen Transfer, reveals he has been seeing a counsellor.
"For the past few months, I've been popping in once a week for an hour to spill the beans on everything from life to love and work," he explains.
"It might seem weird for someone who does what I do for a gig, but there've been times of late when I've forgotten how wonderful it is to laugh out loud."
But the sessions appeared to have done the trick for Anderson, who rediscovered his sense of humour during his therapy sessions and last week he made a spectacular return to ABC television with a new hit show.
"Despite the fact that the sessions are sometimes very hard work, there's still a bunch of little things that bring a smile to my face about my weekly appointment," he said.
With trademark wit, he recounts how his Angela Lansbury-lookalike counsellor has talked him through his "emotional issues".
He said it was difficult initially to reach out for help, acknowledging the stigma attached to men seeking help when feeling down.
"Now, for an Aussie bloke, that's a pretty tough ask; to walk through a stranger's door and say: 'I need help'," he said.
Anderson recently used his relationship blues as inspiration for his stand-up comedy, basing his show, BeWildered, on the break-up.
But his personal torment comes at a time when things are looking up for the comedian career-wise.
Although his popular ABC show The Glass House was controversially axed in November, 2006, he returned on Wednesday night with The Gruen Transfer.
The show, about the advertising industry, is the highest-rating ABC entertainment program to launch since 1991, pulling in almost 1.3 million viewers on its first night.
It is not uncommon for comedians to grapple with depressive-type illness, although those close to the popular Anderson say he was not suffering from this.
However, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson and Owen Wilson have all revealed their struggles with the so-called "black dog".
Such problems afflict about one in five Australians, with one million adults and 100,000 young people affected each year.
Anderson has also been plagued by a long-running feud with singer Shannon Noll after a wisecrack about the Australian Idol star's father.
The comedian admitted the off-handed remark was the "greatest mistake of my career".
However, the pair both claim to have settled their differences after Noll agreed to join Anderson at the Triple M studio to receive an on-air apology a fortnight ago.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7xKernqqklravucSnq2iglZa%2Fta7RqKKepl2nrqW1zmaqrZmiYravedOemKurXZu8s3nWnpykq1%2Bjsri%2FjKyrqKqpZIWnrpFpbpttYW6CpYCWnHCdmpVlrnqCj3Joa2pibbN6