Ben From Brisbane @BenFromBrisbane 16m
Ben Zabel was dismissed from Virgin after almost 10 years service http://dailym.ai/VZQz6p via @DailyMailCeleb
'Unfit to fly': Former Big Brother contestant Ben Zabel claims he was dismissed from Virgin after almost 10 years service after suffering from depression and anxiety
By
Erin Van Der Meer
With just five months to go until he was due to receive his long-service entitlement - including a return flight for two to anywhere in the world - flight attendant Ben Zabel received some bad news.
The Big Brother season 10 contestant claims her was dismissed from Virgin Australia - a company he was employed at for almost ten years - after he was deemed 'unfit' to fly.
The former housemate, better known as Ben from Brisbane, made the revelations in a post on his
Facebook fan page on Wednesday.
Up in the air: Big Brother Australia star Ben Zabel has claimed he was dismissed from Virgin Australia after being employed by the company for almost 10 years after he suffered depression and anxiety
Ben, who also review films on Channel Nine Mornings, said around 12 months ago he was let go from the company after applying for seven 'ground jobs' internally but was rejected for them all.
The Queenslander explained he was suffering from 'severe anxiety and depression' at the time, and holds 'no malice' against the airline for their decision.
When Daily Mail Australia contacted Virgin Australia for a comment, a spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately due to privacy reasons we are unable to comment.'
Disappointed: The Queenslander missed out on his long service entitlements - which included a return trip for two to anywhere in the world - by five months. He had planned to take his mum to the US
However, he admits he is disappointed to have missed out on receiving his long service leave entitlements - which included a return trip for two to anywhere in the world - by just five months.
A self-confessed mummy's boy, Ben said he was planning to take his mother to the US to visit Graceland - the former home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee.
In response to those who questioned why he spoke out about his dismissal from Virgin, he explained he wanted to help others who suffer from the stigma of mental health issues.
'As the new series of Big Brother looms on the horizon, my proverbial '15 minutes of fame' will truly be up,' he wrote.
Housemate: Ben came eighth in the 2013 season of Big Brother, which was won by Tim Dormer
'I wanted to help those suffering with mental illness, while I still have a 'voice'.
The popular Big Brother star said he flies with Qantas these days for work - and has even been upgraded to business class - but wouldn't say no to flying with Virgin again.
'Their staff are amazing and deserve our support to keep them in jobs,' he wrote. 'No one person is to blame for what happened to me.'
Flying high: Since leaving the Big Brother house Ben scored a gig reviewing films on Channel Nine's Mornings
He added: 'The main reason I broke my silence (some of you already knew) on how I left Virgin, was that many lovely folks stop me in the street and kindly ask me if I'll ever consider returning to flying, sometime in the future.
'I used to just make a joke and fob the question away, as I was too embarrassed to admit, anxiety and depression got the better of me in my workplace.
'I then felt like I was lying to myself and lying to all of you by not telling you the full story. I pride myself on being genuine & honest and Mum has always said, 'The truth shall set you free'.
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