AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

PRISON BREAK ACTOR Wentworth Miller was online yesterday and discovered that he was the subject of a cruel body-shaming meme that was being shared widely.

So he took to Facebook last night with an articulate response:

“Today I found myself the subject of an Internet meme. Not for the first time. This one, however, stands out from the rest.”

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Attaching the above meme to his post, he continued:

In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I was suicidal. This is a subject I’ve since written about, spoken about, shared about.

But 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. Not for the first time.

His inspiring message has been online for 10 hours, but it’s already been liked over a quarter of a million times

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Sharing his story with his half a million Facebook followers, Miller wrote about where he was when the second photo was taken:

I’ve struggled with depression since childhood. It’s a battle that’s cost me time, opportunities, relationships, and a thousand sleepless nights.

One day, out for a hike in Los Angeles with a friend, we crossed paths with a film crew shooting a reality show. Unbeknownst to me, paparazzi were circling. They took my picture, and the photos were published alongside images of me from another time in my career. “Hunk To Chunk.” “Fit To Flab.” Etc.

“I put on weight. Big f–king deal.”

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He finished his post with a message of hope:

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. Some within. Some without.

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. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness.

So many people have been praising him for speaking so openly about mental health

Well said.

Read Wentworth’s full story here.

Update: The LAD Bible – who initially posted the meme that Miller shared – apologised on Facebook today

The post began:

We posted two pictures of you last night to our Facebook page, but today we want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong. Mental health is no joke or laughing matter.

We certainly didn’t want to cause you pain by reminding you of such a low point in your life. Causing distress and upset to innocent or vulnerable people is simply not acceptable.

And they finished their apology with these words, and some helpful links to mental health charities:

Responding head-on to our post is something we applaud as it will help others through similar challenges in their lives. Once again, we got this very wrong, and we wanted to say sorry.

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