Netflix’s Queer Eye just wouldn’t be the same without Jonathan Van Ness’ larger than life onscreen presence. From his ‘Yes, Queen’ catchphrase to his bubbly persona and easy to grasp grooming tips, he’s one in a million.

But, while Van Ness has always appeared to be happy-go-lucky on our small screens, he has had his own battles to fight away from the show. And, in an interview with Time Out, Van Ness has opened up about the moment he was diagnosed with “psychotic depression”.

“I was 25, and I was watching my stepdad pass away from cancer,” Van Ness explained. “I was in yoga every day, I was in therapy, and I was on and then off medication the same year.”

Van Ness attempted to quit his anti-depressants by himself. However, his “cold turkey” approach came with side-effects.

“When I came off them, I quit cold turkey,” he said. “It was, like, six months of psychotic depression.”

Looking back, Van Ness regrets how he decided to come off the medication, suggesting others in the same position “wean” themselves off.

And, in true Van Ness-style, he also makes a point of stressing the importance of practicing self-care – citing it as one of the best ways to protect your mental health.

“The biggest thing about self-care is to be gentle with yourself and remember there’s no one way up that mountain. Maybe don’t take advice from this interview about what you should do with antidepressants, because I don’t know you,” he concluded.

Queer Eye’s Jonathan reveals what happened when he tried to quit anti-depressants