Kiwi-born actor Aaron Jeffrey has spoken out about harrowing events in his childhood while growing up in Auckland.

In an Interview with Who magazine on Thursday, the New Zealand-born actor - who has appeared on McLeod's Daughters and Wentworth - said he was passed around "in a paedophile ring for a couple of years" during his younger years.

Jeffery, 48, admitted memories of the traumatic sexual abuse came back to haunt him as an adult.

"In my mid-twenties I had a nervous breakdown," Jeffrey told the magazine. "That hard part of my childhood came back to me - when I was in a paedophile ring for a couple of years - and I had to deal with that."

Jeffrey grew up in Howick and moved to Australia as a 17-year-old. He studied at prestigious acting institute NIDA in Sydney.

After the breakdown, the actor said he recovered from the trauma by taking a break from the industry.

Instead, he turned to studying theology.

"To me, it was all about being of service. I went to work on a farm – although I'm a city boy and grew up in Auckland, I love the country – where they called me 'the human tractor'. I was pretty useful whenever they needed someone with grunt to shift some heavy stuff.

His big break came quickly after returning to acting.

Jeffery scored a major role on hugely popular Australian TV series McLeod's Daughters. He credited the gig as helping him move on from the horrific experiences of his childhood.

"I used to pray: 'I'm here until I find a story to tell' and then it all happened," the father-of-three told Who. "I got an agent on Monday, auditioned for McLeod's on Thursday, got the job on Friday and was in Adelaide ready to start filming two weeks later."

Jeffrey also explained to the magazine his theory on why so many people are attempting to chase celebrity status through stints on reality TV.

"A huge amount have had traumatic events in childhood that led to them just wanting to be seen and heard. That's their journey.”

The award-winning actor has found happiness with former McLeod's Daughters cast mate Zoe Naylor, 40, living largely off-grid in the Blue Mountains with their children Sophia, five, and Beau, 20 months.

Aaron is also a father to 14-year-old daughter Ella-Blu from a previous relationship.

How to get help

If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people.
• Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.

Where to go for help or more information:
• NZ Police
• The Harbour, for those affected by harmful sexual behaviour
• Help Auckland 24/7 helpline 09 623 1700
• Rape Prevention Education
• Wellington Help 24/7 crisisline 04 801 6655, push 0
• Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz

- additional reporting Daily Mail Australia