Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes reveals secret battle with mental illness at the height of fame

news7f07/03/2022

6 2 minutes read

Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes, 50, (pictured) revealed his secret battle with mental illness at the height of his fame in a column for Huff Post this week

Darren Hayes has opened up about his secret battle with mental illness.

The Savage Garden singer, 50, said in his column for the Huff Post he was ‘hiding his rapidly growing depression’ at the height of his fame.

“I began to experience the full force of a self-inflicted mental illness when I was a child… No one would have known this when they were watching me,” he wrote.

Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes, 50, revealed her secret battle with mental illness at the height of her fame in a column for this week’s Huff Post

He continued: ‘Savage Garden is on the rise to global fame and will go on to sell 26 million albums, have two Billboard number-one singles and tour the world.’

‘Nevertheless, no one knew that I was deeply unhappy, barely harboring secrets that would soon wreak havoc on me emotionally and push me to the brink of suicide at the height of my fame.’

It comes after Darren told the Herald Sun he feels ‘deeply saddened’ about not being able to show his true self.

The Savage Garden singer admits he ‘hidden’ his rapidly growing depression as he became more famous in the ’90s

He said: “I feel very sad about my relationship with sex and sad about my career at the peak of fame at Savage Garden.

‘The audience never really knew who I was. And that makes me very sad,’ he added.

Darren appeared in 2006 when he married his partner Richard Cullen in the UK.

“I began to experience the full power of a mental illness that spread itself when I was a child… No one would have known this when they were watching me,” he wrote.

Savage Garden, which includes Darren and guitarist Daniel Jones, was founded in 1993 and produced a series of #1 hits such as To the Moon, Back and Truly Madly Deeply.

The band ceased operations in 2001. Darren continued a solo career while Daniel went on to marry former Hi-5 star Kathleen De Leon.

It is unlikely that Savage Garden will reunite as the duo are ‘no longer friends’.

Savage Garden, which includes Darren and guitarist Daniel Jones, was founded in 1993 and produced a series of #1 hits such as To the Moon, Back and The Animal Song.

Truly Madly Deeply is one of Savage Garden’s biggest hits.

The song won the 1997 ARIA Award for best-selling single and single of the year. It also reached number one in Australia, the US and Canada.

It was added to Australia’s national list of records and films in 2019 in recognition of its cultural significance.

Crisis hotline number: 13 11 14. www.lifeline.org.au. Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467