Ryan Reynolds claims his daughters helped him open up about his mental health

Actor Ryan Reynolds has thanked his three daughters for helping him open up about his mental health struggles.

The actor, who has three daughters with his actress wife Blake Lively, said that being a parent has given him the chance to 'model different behaviors to his children.'

The Deadpool actor also recently raised awareness around mental health month by posting about his 'lifelong relationship with anxiety' on Instagram.

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Talking to Entertainment Tonight's presenter Nischelle Turner the actor said: "Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it's like to be sad and model what it's like to be anxious, or angry. That there's space for all these things."

He revealed that his parents didn't, however, model this behavior to him: "The home that I grew in, that wasn't modeled for me really. And that's not to say that my parents were neglectful, but they come from a different generation."

The actor, who has three daughters James, 6, Inez, 4, and Betty, 1 also said: "Part of that is to de-stigmatize things and create a conversation around [mental health]. I know that when I felt at the absolute bottom it's usually been because I felt like I was alone in something I was feeling."

He went on to add: "So I think when people talk about it, I don't necessarily dwell on it or lament on it, but I think it's important to talk about it. And when you talk about it, it kind of sets other people free."

Last month the actor admitted he suffered from anxiety, via Instagram, as he posted to raise awareness around mental health month.

The Proposal actor said in the post: "One of the reasons I'm posting this so late is I overschedule myself and important things slip. And one of the reasons I overschedule myself is my lifelong pal, anxiety."

In April both Ryan and Blake took to Twitter to celebrate receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations by posting photos of themselves receiving the jab.