Comedian and radio presenter Ciaran Lyon is known for taking a lighthearted approach to life, but his worldview has shifted since he lived on the street for 10 days as part of the SBS series Filthy Rich And Homeless.
Mr Lyons and four other participants had their phone, identification, clothes and other personal items taken away from them for the course of the experiment.
He said before filming she show in winter 2019 he had made a lot of assumptions about how people become homeless – and those assumptions have now been shattered.
Ciaran Lyons (pictured) is a comedian and radio presenter who stars on season three of Filthy Rich And Homeless
Mr Lyons, and the four other contestants, have their phone, identification, clothes and other personal items taken off them for the course of the experiment as they face sleeping rough
‘I thought that to be homeless, you must’ve done something wrong to get there. I thought homeless people were dangerous,’ he told Daily Mail Australia, adding that’s how he believes most Australians view those who are forced to sleep rough.
On the show’s first episode the 22-year-old recalled that when he was a child his crossed the road with him to avoid walking by a group of homeless people.
‘I never thought anything of it as a child when my mum did that, and when I was in the experience it felt like I really was living the literal saying “put yourself in their shoes”,’ he said.
‘I felt really embarrassed, and the confidence and high self-esteem I have in day-to-day life was being drained immensely as the days went on.’
The cast of Filthy Rich and Homeless: (L-R) Dr. Andrew Rochford, model Ellie Gonsalves, Ciaran Lyons, restraunter Pauline Nguyen and Arron Wood, who is the Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Lyons said now he understands that being homeless is about far more than not having a roof over your head or food and water.
‘It’s the isolation, the toll on your mental health, the disgusting way society views you on a day-to-day basis,’ he said.
‘Mothers feared me, they’d pull their children away as they saw me walking towards them. It affected my confidence and made me feel like crap.
‘No one wanted to talk to me, and I felt beneath everyone else in society.’
Mr Lyons said people often looked at him as a burden whenever he asked for money – but there were some acts of kindness.
One man took him into a pizza shop and bought him whatever he wanted.
On the show’s first episode Lyons recalled that his mother made him cross to the other side of the road with her to avoid a group of homeless people
However, meals were hard to come by and the comedian fainted on the third day due to lack of sleep and food.
‘Physically, I was exhausted. Just the simple thing we take for granted of having an uninterrupted sleep, not having to worry about being woken up by footsteps or security guards moving you on,’ he said.
Hearing other homeless people’s stories also left its mark on Lyons – particularly those younger than him.
Before filming Mr Lyons suffered a testicular torsion while performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – a condition that sees a cord inside the scrotum twist around one of the testicles, cutting off circulation.
He was treated in hospital and went to do his set as planned that evening, but his troubles weren’t over.
Lyons said now he understands that being homeless is about so much more than not having a roof over your head or food and water
Before filming Mr Lyons suffered a testicular torsion while performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – a condition that sees a cord inside the scrotum twist around one of the testicles, cutting off circulation
Months later he suffered the same issue and needed surgery. He said the pain was similar to being hit repeatedly in the groin with a cricket ball.
However, this did not impact him while he was sleeping rough.
Lyons said he thought he would be able to handle the experiment without an issue.
‘You can’t mentally prepare for homelessness at all. I came in too confident at the start that I’d be fine, and I can say hand on my heart, it was the hardest, most mentally and emotionally draining experience of my life,’ he said.
Now he wants to use his understanding and awareness of the homeless to raise awareness.
‘I’m going to be releasing a really exciting media project promoting homeless awareness to further the conversation in Australia,’ he said.
Mr Lyons will also be fundraising with a homeless organisation and write a TED Talk about why Australians need to change their attitudes towards homelessness.
Filthy Rich And Homeless airs on SBS at 8.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday.