Wiggle legend Anthony Field talks depression and The Wiggles

The Bottom Line (airing this Saturday 10 May at 4.00 pm). Field reveals to host and CPA Australia chief executive Alex Malley that he masked his depression with the international success of The Wiggles until it almost consumed him. “You get up, feel terrible, and get on to do the shows and almost not be able to get through them. I was physically in a bad shape… I’d go into my dressing room and ball my eyes out, feel so alone – you know cranky, it was terrible. I don’t know how the guys put up with me.” Field tells Malley that he is not ashamed to admit he was on anti-depressants for three years during his struggle to get on top of his battle with depression. “There’s such a fear of anti-depressants and I can understand that, but when you’re in that way, that’s what would stop the loop in my head basically from harming myself.” Two years along his road to recovery, Field still remains the heart and soul of the children’s entertainment group, alongside manager and brother Paul Field. Combining their wisdom with the energy of fresh blood, Anthony tells The Bottom Line of the unique synergy that has been created between the new and old Wiggles – creating a new generation of fans. “To these new children, they don’t know the old Wiggles, this is their Wiggles…we’ve just started a tour and 70 shows are sold out of the 89 shows. It might go all sold out…to go through that year last year, which was so hard and then realise now the audiences are loving the new Wiggles, it’s fantastic.” Field explains that transitioning the ‘old’ Wiggles to the ‘new’ Wiggles with audiences across 140 different countries worldwide has been a slow but successful process over the past year; but names his brother Paul as key in this transition. “It’s great to have someone that you trust, and you know we don’t see eye to eye on creative things all the time, but what we always see eye to eye on is on The Wiggles ethos and where it comes from.” The Wiggles ethos is a spirit on life and education that is hard to ignore: “Treasure children and respect them…encourage them to be themselves and offer them all the opportunities that we can and don’t squash them…I think that’s’ what The Wiggles is about.” Anthony Field shares his insights with Alex Malley on The Bottom Line – airing this Saturday 10 May at 4.00 pm on Channel Nine.]]>