Diego Loyzaga opens up about going to rehab due to depression
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Actor and now celebrity dad Diego Loyzaga admitted that he had been in rehab for several months due to several factors, including depression.
On the February 23 episode of Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, Diego revealed that the previous years had been challenging for him.
He said, “I will not be a hypocrite in front of you and in front of our audience. I did go to rehab, definitely. I wanna be an advocate for mental health. I'm so happy, I have this platform now.
“Para lang ma-explain 'yung pangyayari or nangyari sa nakaraan, sa past ko kung bakit ako umabot sa rehab. I was very, very depressed. I was on the brink of suicidal, and I will not deny that substances had a part to play with my mental state. They don't help, e. Hindi siya nakakatulong.
“If you're already a person with the problem, meron kang pinagdadaanan, and, you know, there's other substances, other factors that are pulling you down, it's a hard pit, crawl out of, and so nag-rehab ako. I got out. I, for a time, could counsel people.”
Diego shared that he still has communication with the people who helped him inside the rehabilitation center.
“But, in saying this, hindi ko sinasabi na, 'I'm sober.' Because once you have a sip of alcohol, it's counted as a relapse. So, relapse ka na. But every single day, I still talk to my counselors. Every single day, I'm still in touch with, uhm, my kuyas, we call them kuyas and ates from my rehabilitation, and they still monitor me. All the time. I'm always still very open with them.
“So, the reason why I'm bringing this off is because. I wish, in the future, near future, I can start na nga my own YouTube channel and explain in detail 'yung mga nangyari sa 'kin, what happened inside, and how my life changed after,” he shared.
The son of ex-couple Cesar Montano and Teresa Loyzaga further talked about how difficult it was inside the rehab and how serious the treatment was.
“Like I said, hindi ako iyakin na tao. Pero ngayon, kung balikan ko 'yung isang araw ko dun sa loob ng rehab, maiiyak talaga ako.
"It was so difficult inside. You go back to that. I go back to that pain. I go back to that pain. You know, it was eight months until I saw the moon, it was eight months until I got to see the sun, 'yung nakalabas ng [rehab],” Diego claimed.
“I'm not shunning my rehabilitation, I owe them my life. Pero, you're kind of trapped inside, e. Hindi ka makakalabas, until you get to meet your family again, and that was the saddest, that was the saddest thing.
“Until it makes you realize kasi, there's a purpose, e. They take everything away from you, so you appreciate all the things that are given back when you get to go out and it broke me, you know?” he continued.
Despite the difficulties he faced while in the rehab center, Diego agreed that it had a positive impact on him.
“When I explained it to my dad, 'yung mga ginawa ko sa loob, 'yung mga pinapagawa sa 'kin, I learned from each and every single thing that we had to do inside, and it changed me as a person, it changed me as an actor. Yes, it made me deeper as a person. Pero again, I'm not saying, I'm perfect,” he claimed.
As their conversation continued, Diego became a bit emotional when Boy Abunda asked him what he would tell his daughter, Hailey, if she watched the interview.
“I guess, I'd say, 'Anak, in life, people make mistakes.' And I think naman, if we don't make mistakes, we don't really grow, you know. Bata pa ako nag-start mag-showbiz, e, sobrang bata. And everything I did, whether good or bad, was publicized, e. Kasi, your life is literally an open book for the public to see.
“I'll just say to her na, 'I hope you don't judge me for my past. I hope you don't look at me differently for the mistakes I've done, and maybe might still do in the future. But just know that I love you, and I promise that I'll give you a life that I never had.'”
Diego also promised his daughter that he would never leave her.
He said, “I know my parents did the most they could for me. Pero ako, for myself, I will really do everything in my power, kahit ano pang maisumbat ng tao sa 'kin na, 'Diego is this, Diego is that. Ito 'yung mga nagawa niya.'
“I will never, ever be an absent or not a loving father. 'Yan 'yung pangako ko talaga. I will give that to the Lord, and now say in front of you, and in front of all the people, hindi 'yan mawawala. I promise that.”
Meanwhile, Diego makes a comeback on the big screen with his latest film, "A Glimpse of Forever," starring Kapuso star Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Jerome Ponce.
Meanwhile, here are other celebrities who opened up about their struggles with mental illness.
