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He’s the affable Dancing with the Stars winner and celebrated Aussie actor on an epic crusade to “kick cancer in the face” once and for all.
But behind the infectious smile, giving spirit and down-to-earth personality for which he is beloved, Samuel Johnson’s life away from the bright lights of fame has been peppered with a unique kind of grief. One that stems from the loss of a loved one by suicide.
A tragedy he’s not only experienced once in his life, but three times.
We sit down for a one-on-one with Sam Johnson. Post continues after video.
Samuel’s mother ended her own life when he was just three years old. And in 2005, he lost his close friend Heather through suicide.
Speaking to Who magazine this week, the 41-year-old actor touched on the third suicide that dots his painful past. That of his former girlfriend, Lainie Woodlands, who ended her life in 2006, two months after Heather.
Top Comments
"She was a bit too amazing though and I couldn’t quite handle it so I kind of bailed on her."
That's so heartbreaking. Sometimes guys bail and the woman is left wondering what the hell went wrong when everything seemed so good. It can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. This happened to me twice leaving me nearly suicidal. I'm older now and can look back on it and understand it better. It's nothing to do with the woman - what she did or didn't do. It's the man feeling like he didn't measure up, or doesn't feel that he measures up yet. I used to think it was a load of crap when guys said it but it's true. It's so heartbreaking and misunderstood.