A candid Darius Boyd has lifted the lid on his spiral into depression and said the three weeks he spent in a clinic last year have transformed his life.

In his most revealing interview, the Brisbane, Queensland and Test star said his wife’s decision to leave him forced Boyd to re-assess his life and prove to the world his surly persona was nothing more than a mask to shield his insecurities.

In the past Boyd has made no secret of his disdain for the media – as demonstrated by his infamous one word answers in an aborted press conference when playing for St George Illawarra.

But the 27-year-old Brisbane fullback, now back with his wife, said he’s the happiest he’s ever been and his life is back on track.

“At the time I thought I was happy with where I was at,” Boyd told Fox Sports’ Sterlo on the Couch on Wednesday.

“People like coaches, staff and whoever I was involved with knew the kind of person I was.

“But outside to the media and the fans I had the mentality of `if they don’t like me I don’t care’.

“But deep down it did affect me.”

The spinal injury that left Knights back-rower Alex McKinnon in wheelchair had a profound effect on Boyd and he admits he started to go off the rails as he struggled to cope with seeing his former housemate’s condition.

He was also dealing with form issues, and had concerns for his grandmother, who brought him up from the age of 15, as she battled health concerns.

“Alex’s injury, plus a few other things … kind of caught up with me and I got to breaking point,” he said.

“We lost against the Bulldogs in the first game he went to after the injury and I wasn’t happy with how I played. But he messaged me and said: ‘you played well don’t worry about it’.

“I broke into tears. Look at the position he’s in and there’s me sooking about a footy game.”

With the Knights out of the finals at the back end of last season, Boyd was given time off by Bennett to get his life on track.

But matters came to a head when he caused $1,500 worth of damage to a room at a luxury hotel resort after his wife told him she was walking out on him.

“My wife decided she’d had enough and I didn’t know how to take it,” he said.

“When she left I thought I am going to go down the wrong path and be on the drink and do all the things I don’t want to be doing.

“I was an angry person. I looked at everything negatively. Then I finally decided to go to the clinic. When I got off the phone to the lady there I just started crying.”

Boyd was diagnosed with adjustment depression and said being in care allowed him to start fighting his demons.

“Three weeks is a long time, there’s not a lot to do,” he said.

“You just think about yourself and others and what’s important in life.

“I realised I was lucky to be paid well for doing something I love and having the support of friends. There were people in there who were worse off than me.”

Boyd said Bennett has been the nearest thing he’s had to a father and when he received a letter from a woman who claimed her husband could be the dad he never knew, he went straight to the veteran coach.

“I got a letter at Newcastle about June last year from a woman saying she thought her husband was my father and that I had three half-sisters,” he said.

“I gave the letter to him as I didn’t know what to do.

“He went to see them and said he was pretty convinced it could be my father.

“Just before I went to England (for the World Club Series) one of the daughters said she was happy to do a blood test if that’s what I wanted to do. We’re exploring that option now.

“I am 27 and I never thought I had a father. I’d like to know what he looks like, where he’s from.

“If it was to go any further it would be like a good mate relationship.”