Jimmy Smith, of Hit Hobart 100.9, opens up about battle with depression and anxiety

Hearing his upbeat voice ringing across the airwaves on a weekday morning, you may think breakfast radio host Jimmy Smith is the happiest man in the world – but you’d be wrong.

IT’S been a whirlwind month for larrikin breakfast radio host Jimmy Smith, who has spent his time working as an announcer at major sporting events and an MC at corporate functions, while also appearing every day at the Taste of Summer festival on the Hobart waterfront.

But he says he’s never felt more depressed in his life.

“Everyone thinks everything’s all good but behind the scenes that just isn’t the case,” Smith, who co-hosts the Jimmy & Nath show on Hit Hobart 100.9, told the Mercury.

Smith’s high-energy, fun-loving public persona belies a man plagued by neuroses and self-doubt.

Grappling with anxiety and depression, the 31-year-old has found some solace in discussing his mental health issues on social media.

Radio host Jimmy Smith with good friend and co-host Nathan Roye at the Hobart Ashes Test . Photo: Linda Higginson

On Sunday, he posted a picture of himself with a group of friends taken on New Year’s Eve and candidly outlined his struggles in the caption.

“I have been pretending my entire holidays that I have been okay, and the truth is I’m not,” he wrote.

“The reason I share this stuff is because I don’t want to be scared anymore. And I hope other people who are going through the same thing and reading this, know YOU are not alone.”

Smith has since received more than 1300 direct messages in response to his post, ranging from people wanting to catch up with him to others sharing their own stories of dealing with depression.

He said posting about his mental health problems was “cathartic in its own way” and that being open about the subject was important.

“You sort of don’t want to admit that you’ve got depression or anxiety,” he said. “You want to fight it.”

Jimmy Smith who is a presenter on the Jimmy & Nath radio program for station Hit 100.9 Hobart, has opened up about his battles with mental health issues. Picture: Richard Jupe

“But the thing that I’ve been learning and trying to get better with every day, every week, every month, every year, is that in order to fight it you have to be honest.

“But f — it’s hard sometimes.

“To say, ‘Hey, look, I’m really depressed, and my hands sometimes won’t stop shaking and sometimes I can’t get out of bed’.”

Smith urged anyone in a similar position to him to see a GP, get a mental health plan, book an appointment with a psychiatrist and get medicated.

What’s his chief piece of advice for those who might be going through a rough patch?

“Don’t beat yourself up,” he said. “Treat yourself with kindness.”

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