Craig McLachlan considered ending his life in wake of indecent assault trial

In the latest episode of SAS, Craig McLachlan further opens up about his private pain in the wake of his indecent assault trial.

Actor Craig McLachlan has opened up about the turmoil caused by his headline-making indecent assault trial.

Appearing on the new season of SAS Australia, the actor said not only did his career and reputation suffer as a result, but also his mental health, and he even considered taking his own life.

“Talk about panic. On that morning, January 8 2018, I woke up to phones ringing,” he said in an emotional piece-to-camera.

“The news was everywhere: ‘He’s a monster, he’s a bully, he’s a calculated predator.’ It’s too easy to ruin your life like that.”

McLachlan was accused of seven counts of indecent assault and six of common law assault made against him by four women who starred alongside him in the stage production of Rocky Horror Show in 2014.

Craig McLachlan reflected on his indecent assault trial on SAS Australia.

McLachlan denied all the claims and in 2020, after a very public trial, he was cleared of all the charges. But he says his life was left in ruins.

“At the time these allegations were broadcast, where I ultimately found myself was in the darkest place imaginable,” he said.

“I was sadly contemplating the unimaginable. And I made a decision to do something … and I’ll just say that, in my haste, a miscalculation basically meant that I … ah … managed to get up out of bed that next day and keep soldiering on.”

McLachlan said he was in the darkest place imaginable.

In the same episode, when he was being interrogated by SAS Chief Instructor Ant Middleton and Directing Staff (DS) Jamie “Jay” Morton, the actor said there is “always going to be some residual anger” after his “reputation was trashed” and he hasn’t “worked with anyone in five years”.

“I was found not guilty of any wrongful behaviour, it’s because I was f***ing innocent,” he said on screen. “I have been profoundly hurt so there’s always going to be some residual anger.”

McLachlan says he now suffers from “extreme social anxiety” and finds it “very difficult to trust situations”.

“I suffer extreme social anxiety,” he said. “I’m more anxious about being in a new group of people than I am about climbing up the side of a mountain. I know that sounds bizarre, but for me, I’m afraid it’s true.”

McLachlan is among 14 recruits battling in out on the gruelling program which pushes contestants’ limits as they undergo a series of physical and psychological tests, among them the notorious interrogation segment.

Earlier this year, it was reported that McLachlan received a six-figure payout from Victoria Police after he was acquitted of the assault charges.

The Daily Telegraph reported that he had been given $500,000 in compensation to pay his legal fees.

Originally published as Craig McLachlan considered ending his life in wake of indecent assault trial