The grieving girlfriend of a body builder who took his own life aged 34 has revealed her biggest regret is that she didn’t know how to help him battle against depression.
Trent Dance was found dead at his Ipswich home, in Queensland, last week, a month shy of his 35th birthday.
His girlfriend Samara Thorpe, who found his body, said Mr Dance was open about his mental health with her and his friends – but none of them knew what to do.
Samantha Thorpe (left) and her boyfriend Trent Dance (right) who took his own life before his body was found at his Ipswich home, in Queensland, last week
‘I didn’t know how to help him and that’s one thing I regret,’ Ms Thorpe told Yahoo News.
‘He talked to me about his struggles so much, I felt like I tried as much as I could [but] supporting someone with depression is hard. I felt my mental health deteriorating in the process.’
Ms Thorpe read Mr Dance’s messages to friends after he died, some of which said he ‘would do something he could not come back from’.
‘I don’t think people including myself really know how to support people struggling with their mental health,’ she said.
While the keen powerlifter and fitness fanatic was candid about his long struggle with depression with some friends, no one saw he had rapidly hit rock bottom.
The only clue came too late: a chilling Instagram post a day before his death which detailed Mr Dance’s struggles with depression and lack of motivation.
Ms Thorpe said her biggest regret is that she didn’t know how to help Mr Dance during his battle against depression
Ms Thorpe was among those shocked by how quickly Mr Dance’s struggle reached its climax.
‘A few people knew Trent was struggling with depression, which he battled for a long time,’ a devastated Ms Thorpe previously told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I just thought that was Trent in a sense.
‘I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have.
‘For him, it got to a stage where he finally had enough and couldn’t take it any more.
‘He had a sickness that took him.’
Mr Dance had a son, 16, and daughter, 12 from a previous relationship and played a step-dad figure to Ms Thorpe’s young children aged five and four.
‘He loved the gym, his kids, friends and family,’ Mr Thorpe said.
‘He worked in a factory, which he wanted to get out of and was studying to become a remedial therapist. He also wanted to train and coach other powerlifters.’
Ms Thorpe was among those shocked by how quickly Mr Dance’s struggle reached its climax.
The couple met at a local bar earlier this year and instantly connected over a mutual love for rapper Eminem.
‘We were both coming out of bad relationships at the time,’ Ms Thorpe said.
‘He was a big, manly looking man but so gentle and caring at the time.’
Hours before his death, Mr Dance vowed to turn his life around after his latest battle with depression left him unmotivated and eating and sleeping like ‘s***’.
‘Anxiety has been off the charts,’ he captioned an Instagram photo of himself training on October 10.
‘The last couple of weeks have beaten me down. I haven’t been in a good place.
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‘I’ve let everything defeat me and I’ve allowed myself to suffer waiting for something to fix it and pull me out of the pit I put myself in.
‘Enough is enough. Time to get up, shake it off, surround myself with some positivity and take back my life.’
This is the last photo of the fitness fanatic and devoted dad, posted a day before his death
Trent Dance uploaded a chilling last post on October 10. He was found dead the next day
Ms Thorpe found her partner’s lifeless body after she returned home from a night out with friends.
‘If I known he was in such a dark place, I would have never gone out,’ Ms Thorpe said.
‘I never saw the warning signs but after going through the last messages he sent, the signs were there.’
Mr Dance’s funeral will be held this Friday, followed by a separate tribute service the following day.
A few days after his death, Ms Thorpe and his best mate decided to organise a fundraiser at at World Gym Ipswich on November 20, three days after what would have been his 35th birthday.
Trent Dance (pictured) often spoke with friends about his struggle with depression
Ms Thorpe said she ‘wants to make sure Trent’s story is not a lost cause and maybe help other people in the same position’
The event will raise funds for Livin’, a local mental health charity Mr Dance was a passionate supporter of prior to his death.
Members of the powerlifting community Mr Dance was part of will lift as much weight as they can with a dollar raised for each kilogram lifted.
‘I want to make sure Trent’s story is not a lost cause and maybe help other people in the same position,’ Ms Thorpe told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I want to take away the stigma for people to take mental health awareness more seriously.’
‘To those struggling with depression, I want them to know there are people who really care and that there is help out there.’
Samara knew of her boyfriend’s struggle with depression but did’t see the warning signs. ‘It got to a stage where he finally had enough and couldn’t take it any more,’ she said
Tributes continued to flow for Trent Dance, who died weeks shy of his 35th birthday
Ms Thorpe is organising the fundraiser with the help of Sam Johnson, who runs local gym and fitness centre Healthy You HQ.
‘I only knew Trent a short time but he often spoke about his battle with depression,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘While his death was a shock to us and had no idea he was about to take his own life, he was relatively open about his struggles.’
‘He was so genuinely happy and positive outside his battle. It shows it can affect anyone, regardless of how fit and healthy you are.
Mr Johnson hopes the local community will band together for an open discussion about suicide prevention and mental health.
‘People need to start talking it about it more,’ he said.
‘We want to educate people on how to assist others in need of help.’
For confidential support call Lifeline: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636.
Samara and Trent met at a local bar earlier this year and bonded over their love for Eminem
Source: Daily Mail
