Former Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis has opened up the highly-publicised catfishing scandal in which his identity was stolen and used to “catfish” unsuspecting women who believed they were in a relationship with the actor.
Melbourne woman Lydia Abdelamlik stole Lewis’ personal details and photos in order to trick six women into thinking they were in an online relationship with the actor over the period of four years, beginning in May 2011.
Abdelmalek then created several fake online personas that she used to harass and torment her victims over several years, which eventually lead to tragedy when one of Abdelamlik’s victims – Lewis’ childhood friend – took her own life when she discovered the truth.
Abdelamlik was found guilty of six counts of stalking after she assumed various aliases, including that of the actor, and sentenced to two years and eight months jail.
Now, Lincoln Lewis has spoken for the first time about the ordeal – as well as the deep depression he found himself in after – to Men’s Health Australia, saying: “I feel this experience has completely turned my life around.”
He continued, “For a decent amount of time I’d been stuck in a constant spiral that had left me pretty heavily broken,” he shared on Instagram, alongside a cover of Men’s Health showcasing his impressive physical transformation.
“Something I never spoke about because I felt I never wanted to burden anyone around me but also because I thought ‘I’ll be sweet, time will fix it.’ Something that wasn’t right or healthy at all.”
“It got to the point where mentally & emotionally most of the time I felt broken but always made sure to put a smile on every time I’d step outside,” he continued.
“Keeping things to myself only made it worse which took away a big part of my natural happiness, my epic spark for life, my creativity when it came to my acting & lastly — eating like shit to try & make myself feel better, physically I’d let myself go big time.”
Lincoln added that after finding himself in a dark place, he enlisted the help of Sydney-based personal trainer Jono Castano and the team at Men’s Health to get fighting fit – though he found the biggest overhaul was to his mental and emotional state.
“Setting a massive goal, realigning my focus & completely changing my entire eating plan to keep the body and mind clear, clean & working properly. Something that would set the pace for what’s been achieved,” he wrote.
“Never forget — You’re NEVER alone, there’s always those that care & wanting what’s best for you & it’s NEVER weak to speak.”
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
