Joshua Bassett has opened up about the health issues and mental anguish he endured after facing scrutiny following the release of rumored ex Olivia Rodrigo’s song Drivers License.
The 21-year-old singer-actor found his personal life in the headlines when his High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star released their viral hit, believed by many to be about their rumored split, last January.
Although they never confirmed that they left, the interpreter revealed to People that the situation as a whole took a toll on his health and he found himself in hospital dealing with heart failure after receiving criticism, and even death threats online, as a result of the song’s release.
Hard times: Joshua Bassett suffered heart failure amid the scrutiny he faced when Olivia Rodrigo released Driver’s License; see you earlier this month
Bassett recently told the site: ‘I felt like my heart was literally failing. I was like, “This isn’t just anxiety. This is bad.”
The actor said he was “feeling worse and worse” in the week before his hospitalization.
He added: ‘I was sleeping 16 to 20 hours a day. I couldn’t even stand for more than 30 seconds.’
A producer from his TV show eventually took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with septic shock and told to wait longer because the illness, which could have been triggered by stress, could have been fatal.
Serious situation: A producer from his TV show finally took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with septic shock and told to wait longer because the illness, which could have been triggered by stress, could have been fatal.
He’s not doing well: In the week leading up to his hospitalization, the artist admitted that he was “feeling worse and worse” every day.
The doctors said, “If you hadn’t checked in within 12 hours, you would have died in your apartment.” It’s crazy that he was so close to taking another nap.
The actor left the hospital nine days later physically recovered. But his mental health had been hit hard.
He recalled that ‘I was even more depressed and stressed. I had a panic attack every day.
Bassett turned to music, writing three songs, Crisis, Secret and Set Me Free, but found the process “stressful and difficult” rather than therapeutic.
Unintended consequence: Bassett turned to music and wrote three songs, Crisis, Secret and Set Me Free, but found the process “stressful and difficult” rather than therapeutic.
The performer expressed that while he was happy to have made various artistic endeavors during that time, his sources of inspiration were less than ideal.
“While, yes, I was able to do something about my grief, a lot of times it was just me grieving and going through all these different feelings,” she said.
The Better Nate Than Ever actor deliberately postponed the release of the songs until December to avoid creating further speculation about the inspiration behind the tracks.
However, after the release of his songs, he admitted, “That week was worse than the year combined.”
Keeping it quiet: The Better Nate Than Ever actor deliberately postponed the release of the songs until December to avoid creating new speculation about the inspiration behind the tracks
He expressed that “I got what I had to say off my chest, but it brought all of that back to me, and the healing is not very linear.”
Bassett, who has spoken out about being sexually abused as a child in the past, said he got his life back on track with the help of his therapist, yoga and meditation.
He said: “My therapist, she loves the song Set Me Free, but every time she hears it, she says, ‘Only you can set yourself free.'”
The actor then noted that he had finally accepted the advice he had been given regarding his experiences.
Professional help: Bassett, who has spoken out about being sexually abused as a child in the past, credited his therapist, as well as yoga and meditation, with helping him get his life back on track.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. I get it.’ But now I understand that it is really me who can give me permission to move on. Ultimately, it was me who had to break free,” she said.
Bassett concluded by expressing that he finally understood why he had not previously dealt with his feelings.
“What I realized recently is that the reason I haven’t been able to process as much is because I went into shock,” he said.
He added: “I’m still in the middle of the whole process, and I think it’s something for life, but I’m learning to peel back the layers.”
Coming to terms with himself: Bassett concluded by expressing that he finally understood why he had not previously dealt with his feelings.
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