Pam Andrews hit 'rock bottom' after returning to SA

It was supposed to be a triumphant return home for popular actress Pam Andrews, but instead the star spiralled into "a dark place" after facing only discouragement and closed doors on her return to South Africa.

The former Rhythm City and Backstage actress moved to London in 2015, only to return home 18-month later.

Although Pam would not reveal all the reasons for her return home, she told TshisaLIVE that she found it tough to come back to an industry that had moved on in her absence.

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"I came back and decided to blog but I quickly became discouraged by the numbers (of viewers) I was getting. I looked around and saw YouTubers that were doing so much better than I was. I became discouraged and even though some of my videos were doing well and people enjoyed them, I couldn't see the success," she said.

Pam also went for auditions but found it far more difficult than in the past.

"I felt like I was being blocked in everything I went to. I started getting really scared about my future because I was comparing myself to others and their success. I hit rock bottom. It was silly but I was in a dark space and kind of gave up," she added.

She reached out to her parents who travelled half-way across the country to help her deal with the crisis.

"They kept telling me to remember who I am and to not let comparisons get me down. I have been in this industry for so long that I should have a thick skin by now but the changes in my life have made it difficult to adjust," she said.

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Discouraged, Pam stopped going out and locked herself in her room until she finally made a breakthrough.

"I started meditating and going through a period of spiritual healing. I am still going through it now. It was during one of these sessions that I woke up and looked at myself. I realised that I needed to de-clutter and so I threw away all my brand name clothes and cut my hair. I realised that I was wearing someone else's hair. That became a metaphor for how I was living other people's lives. It needed to stop and so I decided to shave my hair off," Pam explained.

Pam said that she is now in better spirits and has started blogging again.