Colton Haynes —INSTAGRAM
Now sober after his battle with drug and alcohol abuse last year, “Arrow” actor Colton Haynes recently posted a gallery of photos on Instagram—relatively unglamorous but real pictures of him during his hospitalization.
Haynes wrote in the caption, “Throwback. I don’t want worrying about if I look hot or not on Instagram to be my legacy. I don’t want to skirt around the truth to please other people or to gain economic success.”
The actor, who also struggles with anxiety, looked back at his photos with clarity. “I no longer want to project a curated life,” said Haynes, former cast member of fantasy shows “Teen Wolf” and “The Gates.” “I get immense joy when someone comes up to me and says that my willingness to open up about depression, anxiety, alcoholism and addiction has helped them in some way.”
In the March issue of Attitude Magazine, Haynes’ “downward spiral” was attributed to a series of events: first, his coming out as gay in 2016, then the death of his mother in 2018, and his eventual split with florist husband Jeff Leatham. His “brain broke,” leading to his path of self-destruction.
“I’m posting these photos to let [you all] in on my truth… I’m a human being with flaws, just like you,” Haynes continued. His post inspired his costars from the “Arrowverse” shows, like Stephen Amell, Tyler Hoechlin and John Barrowman, as well as celebrity friends and other colleagues—including Serena Williams, Chloe Bennet, Natasha Bedingfield and Lucy Hale—to offer support and thank him for his sincerity.
In the Attitude interview, Haynes recalled a “rude awakening”: “I almost ruptured my kidney, ended up in the hospital, ended up in 5150 psyche hold (California law code referring to the temporary holding of people showing signs of mental instability).”
“I was on such a destructive path that I could not function,” the 31-year-old actor added. “I lost partial sight in my left eye for a while. I ended up having two seizures. I didn’t know any of this was happening until I was sober enough to remember it.” —OLIVER PULUMBARIT