Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has always tried to come across like a tough guy.
Through the years on Jersey Shore, he’s drank heavily, he’s pumped a lot of iron and he’s taken very little you-know-what from anyone who dared to cross him.
But fans are now seeing a brand new side to the veteran reality star.
Gone, for now, is the arrogant, occasional A-Hole who has called out his baby mama as a "cum dumpster" and said many other mean and cruel things.
In his place?
Someone who is open and honest and vulnerable about his feelings — and someone who has admitted that he has a couple major personal issues.
Earlier this week, Ronnie confessed that he recently spent a month in rehab, receiving help for an addiction to alcohol and also for mental health struggles.
In new quotes from his interview with Us Weekly on the topic, Ronnie opened up in more depth about what caused him to take this step and whether those who worked with him showed him support during the ordeal.
The answer to the second question is a resoundng yes.
“MTV, 495 Productions and [Jersey Shore creator] SallyAnn Salsano were all so supportive," Ronnie explains, elaborating as follows:
"Some stuff happened and [Sally] called me and said, ‘They’re fed up.’ I was like, ‘I’m fed up. I’m at my point where I can’t take it anymore.’
"I just had to surrender and say, ‘I don’t have control over this.’ I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what to do.”
In initial excerpts from this candid discussion, Ronnie mostly talked about how much he drank and how greatly it affected him.
We covered those details here:
Now, however, Ronnie has delved further into the Depression side of things, which is a very serious and troubling matter for anyone who has dealt with it.
The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star adds that when he “hit rock-bottom” and was drinking until he was “numb,” he knew he had to change things.
That’s when he decided to enter HeadWaters at Origins holistic treatment center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“I couldn’t live hurting myself, basically having my daughter grow up and it’s eventually going to hurt her,” Ortiz-Magro tells the tabloid, adding:
“I was in a place of depression, and with depression I turned to alcohol …
"I was sitting there blaming everything else; I was like the victim, and I’m not a victim to life.
"I’m blessed and I’m lucky enough that I have different options, different outlets.”
Ronnie has a 10-month old named Ariana.
He and the child’s mother, Jen Harley, continue to blast each other on social media, and have even got into a few physical altercations.
Most recently, Harley trashed Ronnie for being a terrible boyfriend after he canceled their Valentine’s Day plans.
It’s unclear what the future holds for this troubled twosome, but one must commend Ronnie for taking the necessary steps to turn his own life around at least.
"I decided to go to treatment because I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter," he says.
"Eventually, all the bad decisions I was making were going to lead me to places that I didn’t want to be.
"I wanted to be led to the place that I am now – that’s happy, healthy and the best role model for my daughter."
