"He was out of control": Inside Bachelorette star's battle with addiction
A close friend of Charlie Newling has come forward about his mate's struggles with mental health issues and addiction after his untimely death.
Newling, who appeared on the 2018 season of The Bachelorette, tragically died on Saturday night after his car fell from a cliff in Dover Heights, in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
He was just 36 years old, and had recently welcomed his second child.
As news of his death broke, a friend of Newlings came forward to share the struggles his mate had endured since his new-found fame on the reality dating show.
His friend said the tradie was being swamped by addictions, leading to disturbing behaviour that brought a criminal conviction.
Despite being dubbed a fan favourite for most of his time on The Bachelorette, his fan base quickly turned on him for his "controlling" behaviour.
As a result, he was unable to cope with the backlash and negative publicity that came with appearing on the show, and turned to drugs as an escape.
"Charlie's demon was meth a few years back. Because of it he said his wiring in his brain was screwed," a friend told Daily Mail Australia.
"He got off meth in 2020, and he went to Queensland to escape the drug."
While living in Queensland, Charlie met his on-again, off-again partner Kristal Taylor.
However, his demons caught up with him when the pair returned to Sydney and began living in Sydney's east in 2021.
"They moved in together but he was out of control with drinking and prescription drugs."
He then checked into a rehab clinic in 2022, as friends and family witnessed Newling's declining mental health and alarming alcohol abuse in recent years.
"His biggest addiction was booze," the friend said.
During his periods of addiction, Charlie had a few run ins with the law, and was sentenced to 13 months in prison for threatening to torture and kill his stepfather in a series of 37 text messages he sent to his mother over a three hour period.
He was also convicted of a mid-range drink driving offence in 2021.
Charlie's death is not being treated as suspicious, and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
Image credits: Ten