In this week’s episode, I sat down with actress, singer, dancer and international DJ, Dena Amy. Best known for her role as Abigail in the Netflix series Dance Academy and playing to thousands of people at Coachella, Dena’s life on the outside looked like a dream. But the truth was, Dena was self-medicating with prescription pills to ease the pressure of life as a global performer.

After realising she’d developed an addiction to Xanax, Dena set about her long and often painful journey to recovery which has spanned the last six years. Today, Dena is over 12 months clean and is just a couple of weeks away from starting her next big journey into motherhood.

Some of the topics we cover in this conversation include:

The dark side of show business – 7:00

The impact of childhood trauma – 15:50

Benzos and World Tours – 21:00

The nightmare of withdrawal – 28:32

Holistic Healing – 36:30

Life after rehab – 40:15

To see Dena’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

You can follow Ash and Behind The Smile on IG here: @ashbutterss

You can find Dena using the links below:

Website: Dena Amy

Instagram: @denaamy

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST