Underbelly Files: Chopper star Aaron Jeffery has spoken out about the harrowing events of his childhood.
In an interview with Who Magazine on Thursday, the New Zealand-born actor revealed he was passed around ‘in a paedophile ring for a couple of years’ during his younger years.
Aaron, 48, admitted that memories of the traumatic sexual abuse came back to haunt him and ultimately led to him experiencing a ‘nervous breakdown’ as an adult.
Underbelly Files: Chopper star Aaron Jeffery reveals his horrific childhood abuse including being passed around a paedophile ring ‘for a couple of years’ before suffering a breakdown in his twenties
‘In my mid-twenties I had a nervous breakdown,’ Aaron told the publication.
Speaking about the sexual abuse he suffered, he said: ‘I had a hard part of my childhood that came back to me – I was in a paedophile ring for a couple of years – and I had to deal with that.’
Aaron, who studied at prestigious acting institute NIDA after successfully auditioning at 21, said he recovered from the trauma by taking a break from the industry.
Instead, he turned to studying theology, explaining: ‘To me, it was all about being of service. I went to work on a farm – although I’m a city boy and grew up in Auckland, I love the country – where they called me “the human tractor”. I was pretty useful whenever they needed someone with grunt to shift some heavy stuff.’
‘I had a hard part of my childhood that came back to me – I was in a paedophile ring for a couple of years – and I had to deal with that’: Aaron opened up about his traumatic past and admitted he suffered a nervous breakdown in his mid-twenties
New role: Aaron will soon appear on the small screen as infamous criminal identity Mark ‘Chopper’ Read in the Nine Network’s Underbelly Files: Chopper (pictured with co-star Michael Caton)
Aaron returned to acting after scoring a role on the hugely popular Australian TV series McLeod’s Daughters, a job he credited with also helping him move on from the horrific experiences of his childhood.
And while the star is more interested in the creative side of acting than the fame it brings, Aaron also had his own take on why so many people are attempting to chase celebrity status through reality TV.
‘A huge amount have had traumatic events in childhood that led to them just wanting to be seen and heard. That’s their journey,’ he said.
New look: Aaron looks to have undergone a mammoth transformation to take on the role
The Wentworth actor will soon appear on the small screen as infamous criminal identity Mark ‘Chopper’ Read in the Nine Network’s Underbelly Files: Chopper.
Aaron looks to have undergone a mammoth transformation to take on the coveted role, packing on considerable pounds to play the notorious criminal in the highly anticipated miniseries.
The star is currently married to fellow actress Zoe Naylor, 40, with the couple sharing two children together: Sophia, five, and 20-month-old Beau.
Aaron is also a father to 14-year-old daughter Ella-Blu from a previous relationship.
Personal life: The star is now married to fellow actress Zoe Naylor (pictured)