Newshub journalist Patrick Gower has admitted he had an unhealthy attachment to his previous job as political editor, saying he was so addicted he was "starting to hate it".
In an emotional segment on Three's The Project on Thursday night, Gower said he believed he was turning into a "workaholic", as politics became the focal point of his life.
"I have struggled with an addiction - an addiction to politics and journalism. I know that people think I'm joking, but I really did," he said.
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"Actually that's why I left my last job: because actually my addiction to politics and to work - a workaholic sort of thing - was infecting my whole life. I felt that it had seeped into my whole life."
"Even though I loved it, I could tell in my heart and in my mind that I was starting to hate it. I really didn't want to hate it, so I had to break an addiction, basically."
Gower said he began going to see a psychologist in an effort to get in a good space to move into his current job, as Newshub National Correspondent.
"Dark corners were starting in my mind, and when I visualised going back to work I started to think that bad things would happen," he said.
"I actually worked with a psychologist to help me work through leaving the job, and she was really good, she'd done it before with other people.
"That really helped me and in the end, I got my goal: I didn't end up hating the job, and I was still able to love it and leave without that hatred in my heart for it."
Asked whether he would recommend going to a counsellor, Gower had a simple answer: "Everyone should do it."
Newshub.
