Hollyoaks actor Joe Tracini has bravely spoken out about being sexually abused as a child, revealing the trauma for the first time in a new Channel 4 documentary. The 34-year-old, best known for playing Dennis Savage in the soap, opens up about his struggle with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and six suicide attempts in the film Me And The Voice In My Head.
In the documentary, Tracini says he feared the abuse he suffered as a young child may have triggered his mental health issues. He became emotional as he recounted the abuse, which he had never told anyone about until filming. “I’m sick of being the only person who knows that that happened,” he said. “I’ve not said that out loud for 29 years.”
The actor explained that talking about his mental health has helped him significantly. “The more I talk about how f****d up I am, the less f****d up I feel,” he said. He described his emotions as “entirely unstable” and said he constantly thinks about suicide. However, he hopes the documentary will help him process the past and “move on from it a little bit.”
Tracini added: “The things I’ve done I feel are entirely being driven by an eight-year-old who is really p****d off. I didn’t think exploring my childhood was going to help, but it feels like it has. I’ve got a long way to go but by starting to open up, I’m starting to realise that the way I am and the way I feel is not my fault.”
Me And The Voice In My Head airs on Monday 13 May at 10pm on Channel 4. The programme includes a helpline for viewers affected by the issues raised.
