The Bachelorette 2019: Bill Goldsmith speaks out about his portrayal as the villain - NEWS.com.au

Former Bachelorette contestant Bill Goldsmith says his villainous portrayal on the franchise left him a “broken man”.

The Perth plumber took to Instagram on Wednesday night with a video of him sobbing, taking the opportunity to speak candidly about the impact on his mental health of being portrayed as a reality TV villain.

“Instagram is all about showing the best parts of your life right?,” he began.

“I’m here to buck the trend and show you one of the lowest points in my life to date. I’m posting this video to shine a light on mental health and that it’s OK not to be OK, and it’s OK to reach out for help.”

His caption continued: “From the outside people think that it’s so fantastic going on TV and getting all this newfound attention, but truth be told I’m not the only one that’s struggled mentally from doing reality TV.

“From being portrayed as someone I’m not on TV, to being lied to by so many people, to having genuine feelings for someone, to being manipulated by people, to being attacked online by strangers. I was a broken man … I’m only posting this now as I have fully recovered and I’m back to my happy self.”

His post comes amid talk of reality TV contestants potentially pursuing workers compensation claims after a landmark ruling which saw Channel 7 forced to issue a payout to a former House Rules contestant.

Nicole Prince, who was portrayed as a “bully” on season five of the renovation show in 2017 with her friend Fiona Taylor, suffered “psychological injury” during filming and lost work after the show ended.

Since the outcome was made public in a damning 27-page report against Seven, ex- Married At First Sight contestants Tracey Jewel and Davina Rankin both said they would consider launching their own claims against Channel 9.

While Bill has not commented on pursuing legal action against Ten, he has long been vocal about feeling mistreated by the network.

“Channel Ten and Warner Bros have f**ked me over all for their ratings,” he once said in response to a fan.

Following his dramatic appearance on Bachelor in Paradise, the backlash levelled at Bill Goldsmith for his perceived gaslighting and manipulation by viewers was rife.

He had been caught in a white lie by Alex Nation, who he struck up a brief relationship with on the show, denying he sexually propositioned Florence Alexandra despite the exchange being caught on camera.

But in response to the controversy Bill accused Ten of having “f**ked his reputation” through their editing in a series of Instagram posts.

He also took a swipe at Bachelor in Paradise’s ratings which were down on last year’s.

“A reality TV show doesn’t define me,” he said.

“They have edited me and made me out to be someone who I’m not, all for their TV ratings. The ratings are another flop anyways, so not really sure it was all worth it.”

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