Greg Page reveals how he experienced loneliness while on tour as the Yellow Wiggle

To millions of fans, he was the happy Yellow Wiggle. But, behind the scenes, Greg Page was hiding a secret.

Exclusive: On stage he was the yellow Wiggle – the all-dancing, singing, high energy children’s act – but behind the scenes Greg Page would spend all his time alone in his room, crippled with loneliness.

For the first time, the original lead singer of the Wiggles revealed that back in the mid 2000s he only connected with other members of the group on a “superficial” level and that he was unable to open up to any of them about his problems for fear of being judged.

Page said he did not blame them, but himself for not making the effort or having the confidence to build those deeper connections.

“I was going through some personal issues back then,” Page said, of the period just before he quit the Wiggles in 2006.

“I probably, in a way, helped create my own lonely environment by not dealing with the issues that I had.”

The OG Wiggles, Greg Page, Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook and Anthony Field. Picture: Richard Dobson

Nearly 20 years on he has decided to speak out about this dark period of his life to help raise awareness of loneliness, with new research showing it has become an epidemic in Australia, especially among young people.

One in four Australians, and almost half of all young people are persistently lonely, with one of the triggers being financial hardship.

People who are unemployed, single or divorced, have a chronic disease, struggle with their mental health, or come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, are the groups that are more vulnerable to persistent loneliness.

Rural Australians and those living in Tasmania, the NT and Victoria are also more likely to suffer.

It comes at a financial cost too, with estimates that loneliness costs the country $2.7 billion dollars a year.

The Yellow Wiggles at Carols in the Domain – Emma Watkins, Greg Page and Tsehay Hawkins. Picture: Supplied

For Page, marriage difficulties and a health condition causing orthostatic intolerance, which induces fatigue and a loss of balance, triggered his long bout of loneliness.

The 52-year-old father of six, said that as the gruelling US Wiggles tour took its toll on him physically, he used it as an excuse to stay in his room.

“I kept the feelings to myself,” Page said. “I think everybody kind of knew that there was stuff going on and let’s face it, most people have stuff going on in their life, but it’s how you deal with that and how you cope with it that can be the trigger for becoming lonely.”

He said at the time he didn’t even realise he was lonely, which is quite common, according to Associate Professor Michelle Lim, from Ending Loneliness Together.

Wiggles founder Greg Page, who has explained how he experienced loneliness. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“Loneliness traditionally has been an issue that has been trivialised and neglected,” Dr Lim said.

“As early as 20 years ago we were talking about loneliness as something that we can’t change, as something that is a problem of the person that’s experiencing it.

“The science now says something different, that it is a signal for us to do something about our relationships.”

She said it was normal to feel lonely at times in your life, but people should be aware of those signals and make an effort to reconnect.

Ending Loneliness Together Scientific Chair Associate Professor Michelle Lim. Picture: Supplied

Dr Lim said people who are persistently lonely – which is when they’ve had those feelings for eight weeks or more – are more likely to suffer mental health issues, chronic disease and earlier mortality.

The World Health Organisation has launched a three year high level commission into loneliness, and have classed it as the next public health priority.

Dr Lim said she wanted to raise awareness of the issue so people feel able to say to someone, ‘I feel lonely’, without feeling shame.

For more information on Loneliness Awareness Week, visit https://endingloneliness.com.au

For help with emotional difficulties, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au

For help with depression, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or at www.beyondblue.org.au