Earlier this year, Teen Wolf & Arrow star Colton Haynes seemingly came out with a shrug. Someone was on Tumblr, talking about Colton’s “secret gay past,” and Colton commented “Was it a secret? Let’s all just enjoy life & have no regrets.” People took the comment in the spirit in which it was offered: that his private life wasn’t a secret, but he wasn’t going to do some big tell-all coming-out interview. Months later, and he’s done a coming-out interview! Except not really – Colton sat down with EW to chat about why he needed a break from Hollywood (his anxiety issues) and the reaction to that Tumblr comment. You can read the full EW piece here. Some highlights:

Why he stepped away from Hollywood: “I asked to step away because I cared more about my mental and physical health than my career at the time. I’ve had terminal anxiety my entire life. Physically ill, fainting. I’m 27 years old, and I have an ulcer. I had to step back.”

He’s active on social media: “People think there’s this working machine behind it all, but the machine is my weird personality. I think I have a good outlook on life, and I like to share that. There’s no filter. I mean, a couple of Instagram filters, but not an actual communication filter.”

His Tumblr comment about his “secret gay past”: “It was a complete shock. I wasn’t ready to be back in the headlines,” says Haynes, who is in fact gay but has never publicly addressed his sexuality (and, like many others on his path, took advice early in his career to subdue it). “I should have made a comment or a statement, but I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t feel like I owed anyone anything. I think in due time, everyone has to make those decisions when they’re ready, and I wasn’t yet. But I felt like I was letting people down by not coming forward with the rest of what I should have said.”

He was dealing with a lot of stuff: “People want you to be that GQ image that you put out, but people don’t realize what it’s like to act 24 hours a day. I’d go home and I was still acting. People who are so judgmental about those who are gay or different don’t realize that acting 24 hours a day is the most exhausting thing in the world.”

He’s happy now: “It took me so long to get to this point, but I’m doing so good. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and healthier than I’ve ever been, and that’s what I care about.”

[From EW]

EW points out that, as his original Tumblr comment indicated, Colton was never really in the closet. He had always been out to friends, family, coworkers and bosses. He just didn’t give interviews about it or discuss it publicly. Following the outcry in January, Colton did check himself into rehab for anxiety and according to EW, he “would be frequently back in the hospital over the next three months.” Poor kid. At least it sounds like he got the help he needed and that he’s in a much better place these days. I hope he discovers that his fans love and adore him even more these days.

Photos courtesy of WENN.