Jason Donovan on The Price Of A Fame & How Fatherhood Changed Everything

Begin Again with Davina McCall

FlightStory

Education, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 972 Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does fame at 17 really do to you? In this episode of Begin Again, Jason Donovan opens up about growing up in the spotlight and what happens when success comes before you’ve had time to understand yourself. Thrust into fame as a teenager on Neighbours, Jason shares what it was like navigating a world where everyone thought they knew him, while he was still figuring out who he was. Behind the success, there was pressure, confusion, and a lack of guidance that led him down a path he struggled to control. He speaks candidly about the reality of those years; the partying, the expectations, and the feeling of having to navigate it all alone. At a time when mental health wasn’t openly talked about, Jason reflects on how difficult it was to process everything he was experiencing. But this is also a story of change. Jason shares how becoming a father became a turning point giving him purpose, grounding, and a reason to rebuild. He reflects on the lessons he’s learned, what he knows now that he didn’t then, and how he’s found a way to balance creativity, family, and peace. At its core, this is a conversation about fame, identity, and what it takes to take back control of your life no matter where you started. 🌟 Follow for more powerful conversations about resilience, growth, and beginning again. Follow us here: 📸 www.instagram.com/beginagain 🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod ✨Begin Again Newsletter: https://linkly.link/2g2xx (00:00) Intro (02:36) The Face Magazine Outing Scandal (14:38) Jason's Upbringing And Relationship With His Parents (20:34) Saily Ad (21:30) Bloom & Wild Ad (22:32) Jason's Relationship With His Father And Stepmother (27:01) The Beginnings Of Jason's Career & Working With Kylie (28:47) Jason On Neighbours And Meeting Kylie (31:10) Spirituality And Getting Older (35:07) Paramount + Ad (36:23) Begin Again Newsletter (37:17) Jason's Wife Angela And The Buzz Of Performing (41:37) Drug Addiction And Mental Health Battle (47:24) Recovery, Meeting His Wife And Becoming A Father (52:41) A Letter From Jason's Father (55:23) What's Next For Jason And What Else He'd Like To Do Sponsored by: Saily - Download from the app store and use code DAVINA at the checkout for 15% off Bloom & Wild - use code DAVINA for 15% off at https://www.bloomandwild.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=begin_again Paramount+ - Episodes 1-3 of The Madison are available to stream on Paramount+ now: https://www.paramountplus.com/gb/shows/the-madison/ Episodes 4-6 will be available to stream from 21 March Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Jamie Lang and Sophie Haboo have arrived on Disney Plus.
0:04.0	We're having a baby.
0:06.0	We're having a baby.
0:07.0	I've always wanted to be mom.
0:09.0	And we're bringing you on our journey through everything.
0:12.0	I have no idea what we're doing.
0:13.0	Thank you. I have more of an idea.
0:15.0	I think of it like a Tamagocchi.
0:17.0	At the end of all of this...
0:20.0	We're going to have a little baby.
0:21.8	Raising Chelsea, a Hulu original series streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.
0:27.3	18 plus subscription required T's and T supply.
0:30.4	Selling your car can be super simple.
0:32.6	If you choose, we buy any car because they sought out any outstanding finance for you.
0:37.5	Just bring along your final settlement agreement.
0:40.3	If only they could make parallel parking simpler.
0:43.3	To the right bit mate.
0:44.3	Yeah, back. Back a bit. A bit more. Bit more.
0:48.3	Oh, no, too far.
0:50.3	We Buy Any Car. Selling made simple.
0:53.3	To sell your car today, enter your edge number now
0:55.9	at we buy any car.com. I want to talk about you and Kylie, 17 years old, neighbours. It was a
	...

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