Kristoff St. John’s ex-wife, Mia paid tribute to the late actor by advocating for mental health on The Doctors, one year after his death. The loss of the talented The Young and the Restless star is still felt deeply today.
Mia is now shedding some light on what she believes ultimately led to the death of Kristoff. She is adamant Kristoff never recovered from the shocking suicide of their son Julian. Mia spoke about the topic on The Doctors.
Mia St. John discusses two tragic losses
The champion boxer and soap opera star lost their son, Julian, in 2014 at the age of 24. Julian struggled his entire life with mental illness. He committed suicide while seeking treatment for his issues.
Mia not only blames the facility for failing Julian but also for Kristoff’s death. The latter she knows is a direct result of Julian killing himself. Kristoff never recovered from the death, and he felt guilty for not doing more for their son.
“I don’t think I know. We were both terribly depressed and feeling suicidal from time to time, but his was so much deeper because there was so much guilt involved,” Mia explained in her comments about how she felt Julian’s death led to Kristoff’s death.
She also expressed that the soap star did not understand mental illness. Kristoff dealt with the guilt and loss of Julian by turning to alcohol, like so many people who are suffering do to escape the pain.
After Kristoff’s death, it was revealed the actor had a history of alcohol use, bipolar disorder, and suicidal ideations. Kristoff was on a 72-hour hold days before his death.
Mia and Paris fight for reform
Mia and her daughter Paris St. John are fighting for healthcare reform after the system failed Julian, as well as Kristoff. There are gaps in the system that the mother and daughter duo are addressing in the wake of their tragedy.
“There were so many errors, starting from having plastic bags in a suicide unit, a high-risk unit…not doing the mandatory checks,” Mia recalled on The Doctors. She cited surveillance evidence as to how they knew the required checks weren’t actually being made.
“Also, my son was on a powerful antipsychotic, which toxicology came back and there was no antipsychotic in his system,” she revealed.
The timing of The Doctors interview coincides with the first anniversary of Kristoff St. John’s death, which Mia chose to do to honor the late actor. Along with being survived by Mia and Paris, Kristoff left behind his other daughter Lola.
In December, Mia St. John revealed she is going to release a tell-all memoir regarding her life with Kristoff, her days as a boxer, and the loss that had plagued her family.