Hidden pain ... House Rules star Ryan Rebbeck, pictured with his partner Marlee Murphy, kept his depression battle a secret — something he’s urging other blokes not to do. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

When the act became too exhausting, the now 29-year-old garbage collector and self-employed tradesman avoided going out and instead spent hours a day locked in his house.

It was five years ago when Rebbeck, a star in Channel Seven renovation reality show House Rules, felt something was wrong. What followed was a secret living hell that lasted two years.

“It wasn’t a great time,” the larger than life character recalled.

“My long-time girlfriend and I had just split up. I bought my house and was struggling just to keep my head above water financially. I hated the job I was in at the time and it took an hour-and-a-half each way to get there, and then I worked these crazy hours.

“Not much was going right and things in my head just got worse and worse.”

Long road ... House Rules star Ryan Rebbeck has opened up about his battle with depression. Source: Supplied

The hardest part was that Rebbeck's house — the thing demanding so much of his time and money — was falling apart around him as well.

While the entire roof needed to be replaced, he couldn’t afford it. Long, cold and wet nights meant he couldn’t escape the elements inside.

“Whenever it rained, water would just pour in from about 20 different spots. That stuffed the electricals. I hated it. I’d work all day, leave in the dark and get home in the dark, then come home to this place I was embarrassed to live in.”

After running himself into the ground and ignoring his mental health, the darkness got worse and worse. Rebbeck was trying to fight a battle on his own but didn’t know how.

“I felt like the world was against me. I stopped going out and avoided social stuff. I just locked myself away. When I had to see mates, I tried to put on a good show, smiling and that sort of stuff.

“I had always been the life of the party, the ball of energy, but I couldn’t maintain that. So most of the time, I just sat in my room.”

Tiring act ... when it became too exhausting for Ryan to put on a happy face for his mates, he stopped going out. It was his mum who encouraged him to seek help. Source: Channel 7

Rebbeck’s mates had no idea what was going on, but he couldn’t hide the truth from his mum. Concerned, she showed up unannounced one day.

“She knew something was different and sat me down. I just let it out. I told her — I was depressed.”

One of the hardest things to get his head around was why he felt this way. Rebbeck never expected depression would be something he’d face.

“I’m an easy going guy, I’m happy — nothing really bothers me. I didn’t understand why it was happening to me. I didn’t think it could, you know?”

With her help and encouragement, Rebbeck finally sought professional help and began down the long road to recovery.

He also opened up to his mates — something that was almost as hard as fighting the depression itself, he said. But when he did, the part-time tradie discovered something incredible.

“They were incredible,” he said. “My close friends rallied around me, helped pick me up ... if I tried to get out of a social thing, they’d rock up on my doorstep and say ‘No mate, we’re watching the footy’. They were amazing.”

Raising awareness ... by speaking about his battle, Ryan hopes to inspire other blokes who might be struggling to reach out and ask for help. Source: Channel 7

Things got a little bit better each day and over time, for the first time in a long time, what seemed like an endless horizon of darks clouds started to clear, he said. In his words, “things looked up”.

Towards the end of his recovery, Rebbeck met his now girlfriend Marlee Murphy.

He’s now back to his healthy and happy self. Some friends still don’t know the two-year ordeal he faced.

“I think depression is tough for blokes especially because we’re less inclined to talk about it. It’s not easy to say to a mate ‘I’m not coming out tonight because I’m upset’ so we bottle it up.

“That’s why I’m speaking up now. If I can help other men to reach out for help, that’s a good thing. I lived with a secret for so long and the depression only got worse — it was hell and I fell deeper into it.

“If that sounds familiar to someone out there, they should reach out and talk to someone.”

House Rules host Johanna Griggs, who’s also a board member of Beyond Blue, praised Rebbeck for his candour.

Important example ... show host and Beyond Blue board member Johanna Griggs praised Ryan for talking about his battle. Source: Supplied

“By opening up, he’ll most likely help someone else who’s feeling lost and overwhelmed, and no doubt inspire them to seek help,” Griggs said.

“I have a huge admiration for Ryan for speaking out about his battle. He’s a great example of how with the right support, you can get better and go on to enjoy a great quality of life.”

If you, or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Appearing on Q and A, Anna Burke pointed out that we need to stopped being obsessed with hospital beds and look more at depression and sucide prevention.