In 2021, Sam Frost uploaded a video about the COVID vaccine. She says it was 'taken out of context'.

Sam Frost first gained attention in 2014 when she was proposed to and then dumped on The Bachelor Australia before she became the nation's first Bachelorette the following year.

With her newly found fame, the 35-year-old took on a national radio hosting gig alongside Rove McManus for 18 months and then in 2017, she marked a milestone in her career when she joined the long-running Australian TV drama Home and Away as 'Jasmine Delaney'.

Then in October 2021, less than four years into the role, the actor and reality star went viral. Frost left the show after sharing a controversial video she now says was "taken out of context".

Watch Sam Frost make her Home and Away debut. Post continues after video.

In the clip, Frost confessed she had her hesitations about the COVID-19 vaccine, explained she was not vaccinated and discussed her depleting mental health.

"I was really hesitant about doing a video or even speaking up about this sort of thing, but I feel like it's getting to a point now in the world where there's a lot of segregation," she told her followers at the time.

"There's a lot of harsh judgement and opinions being thrown around a lot and it's taking its toll on my mental health, for sure, and I know people around me are struggling — particularly if they're on the side that they don't want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason."

"There are lots of different reasons why people aren't getting vaccinated and it might be because of their medical history, their concerns, they might have a family history, it could be religious reasons," Frost continued. She added she was not vaccinated at the time for a "few reasons".

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Intense backlash followed when the actor said her choice to not get the jab made her feel "less of a human" in Australian society.

In October 2021, those who had gotten the jab for COVID-19 were permitted in New South Wales to travel and socialise more freely, while those who were unvaccinated were still restricted from doing so for three more months.

"But I feel like it's getting to a point now in the world where there's a lot of segregation, a lot of harsh judgment, and it's taking its toll on my mental health," she said.

Part of the condemnation was in part due to Frost using the term 'segregation' to refer to unvaccinated Australians.

Two months after she posted and deleted the video, she quit Home and Away.

"We support and respect Sam's decision to leave Home and Away," a Seven spokesperson said. "Sam leaves with our sincere thanks and very best wishes for the future."

Three years on, Frost has reflected on the "awful year" that led to her departure and her reasons behind sharing the clip that landed her in a world of controversy.

"When I did the video about that, if you actually watch the video, it was all about mental health and it was about me saying, 'No one is okay right now' and, 'Whatever you think about these vaccines, everyone is struggling and you need to be compassionate and have empathy towards people who may think differently towards you,'" she said on the Life Uncut podcast.

"The whole thing got twisted and taken out of context, and got far messier and uglier than what it was meant to be."

Frost clarified that there was "a lot" going on behind the scenes. 

"That was an awful year. I had a lot of stuff happening in my family life, and a lot of things happening in my private life," she said. "It was a really yucky time. I don't think anyone was okay during COVID."

Sam Frost in her Instagram video. Image: Instagram @samfrost.

The situation, along with her declining mental health, got so bad, she decided it was time to throw in the towel.

"I just ended up going, 'Oh man. I need to go home and be with my family' and that's when I made the decision to leave Home and Away," she said.

Frost has been open about the impact her controversial video had on her mental health and previously told Mamamia 2021 was a year of immense struggle.

"I had the job I loved, I had a beautiful home, I've got my dogs... and I remember feeling in my core, I'm just not happy," she shared. "I would spend the weekends alone at home with the curtains drawn, and I'd sleep all day because I was struggling with my depression and my mental health.

"People assume that because you have a job on the TV or you've got this beautiful life displayed on social media or in the media, they think, 'How can you struggle with mental health?' But mental health doesn't discriminate. Anyone can struggle with it."

Frost told Mamamia in 2022 that she did go on to get fully vaccinated, getting her vaccinations in late 2021.

Feature Image: Instagram @samfrost.

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