Still Game star hails huge support since he revealed his battle with depression

Sanjeev Kohli had any misgivings about going public with his private battle against depression, he has none now.

The actor says the response to his decision to open up about his mental health has been overwhelmingly positive.

Sanjeev, 46, soon to return as Navid in the final series of hit sitcom Still Game, said: “I was putting my head above the parapet. I was inspired by Gavin Mitchell, who plays Boaby in Still Game, who had done a video and was very matter of fact about his depression.

“And I was doing some work with a friend who has a charity that deals with depression, so I thought I really should go public. “But I thought that maybe people would look at me and think, ‘He has the perfect life’.

“Well no I don’t. All you see is a thin skin on a deep vat of custard and it’s not all fun and games. I did worry that people might think, ‘You’re successful. What have you got to be depressed about?’

“But there wasn’t a single bit of that.

“I think, as a society, we’ve come to understand that mental health is every bit as important as physical health.

“You can’t show someone a stookie or a plaster, but we’re more open to people saying, ‘I’m not all right today, bear with me’.”

Sanjeev admits he’s been guilty of keeping his true feelings and fragile state under wraps. In the past it has been so bad he has been left bedbound, struggling to speak to his children and being tearful at work. And speaking out was a concern because of how it might be viewed in the entertainment industry.

“I suppose I may have had more to lose,” said Sanjeev, who’s also a regular as AJ in River City.

“I thought that if I went public there might be some production company that thought I might be a liability and show up with nothing to say for myself.

“But I knew it didn’t affect my work.

“I was going into River City every day and, while I was quiet at the lunch table, I was delivering the same stuff on screen that I always had. “That wasn’t an issue.”

His revelation has had a positive impact on others dealing with their depression, something that delights him.

“A lot of people have said that someone high-profile speaking out helps. They appreciated the honesty of it and it may have helped them to be a bit more honest.

“They might look and say that maybe it’s okay for them to admit it to their circle of family and friends. Certainly some have said that and that’s very gratifying.

“It’s helped me. I now know that if I had another episode I’d be upfront about it. I’ve opened the bottle now and the genie’s out.

“If I had another bout when I was doing River City, I know everyone knows I can suffer from it and I’d be less self-conscious about being a bit quieter or reserved.”

When the final series of Still Game hits the screen this month, Craiglang’s most famous shopkeeper will be tuning in not as one of the stars but as one of the fans.

Sanjeev says filming the final scenes was emotional but he has no regrets about the show that changed his life.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky to be in a sitcom that will live on,”