Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein shows off his six-pack and bulging biceps as he poses shirtless for Men's Health and recalls his battle with depression

Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein is this month's cover star of Men's Health and he showcased his incredible physique while posing shirtless in a towel.

The actor, 46, who plays Roy Kent in the Apple TV series, lounged around a swimming pool in just the terrycloth, showing off his rippling muscles.

Proudly showing off his six-pack and biceps, Brett also posed for underwater shots where he carried weights and sporting a pair of swimming goggles.

Brett's shirtless snaps showed off his hairy chest, as he joked about being one of the only men in Hollywood not to have shaved off his body hair.

As well as showing off the results of his physical health, Brett delved into the mental health side of things as well, revealing he previously suffered with depression.

Speaking to the publication about how he struggled when pilot seasons didn't work out and he decided to see a therapist, Brett said: 'I was depressed. 

'Every day she made me write a list of 10 things that happened that day that I was grateful for. In the beginning, when you're so, so depressed, it's like, "Nothing." But you have to put 10 in. "The sun was up." That's one. You start so small. 

'But by day 30 of doing that, you've started training your brain to look for the positive, and I could write a list of 100 things. I'm the luckiest guy in the world! Everything's f**king amazing!'

'I can't tell you the exact day it was – day 26, let's say. But I really was like, 'Oh, I get to choose how I see the world'. It really had changed me, built new synapses, whatever it is. You can look for the good. It's a fucking skill – or, something you have to work at. And I don't always achieve it. I still have darker days. But gratitude helps.'

Brett already had a substantial career before Ted Lasso. He'd been doing stand-up and acting for years, with roles in Derek, Drifters, Uncle, Hoff the Record, and the film SuperBob, which he co-wrote and starred in.

But it was his part as Roy that has since made him a household name and in 2021 he won the 2021 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

It was announced ahead of the third season that it would be the last season of the Richmond-based show, but it has since returned for a fourth run. 

On why the return of Ted Lasso's fourth season was unfinished business, Brett said: 'I was always like, "We're not done." Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but it just felt like it's such a lovely world that we've built, it seemed crazy not to go back and do more…I always think it's like Springfield, there are so many characters. 

'It allows you to do a new thing – not lose all the things you love from the original, but you get to expand the world.'

Brett was originally hired as a writer but made himself a household name as the beloved, foul-mouthed AFC Richmond team captain-turned-coach.

Since then, the British actor has taken on a growing number of roles behind and in front of the camera.

Most recently he was in Netflix comedy, Office Romance, starring opposite Jennifer Lopez, who he was rumoured to be 'growing close' to, before confirming they are just friends

Joking about his sudden claim to fame, he has quipped that he was 'a 20-year overnight success!' adding, 'but I get it. Nobody saw me before.'

Brett was born in Sutton in the south London suburbs into a Jewish family.

His dad created his love for the Tottenham Hotspur football team, which inspired Ted's motto about it being the hope that kills you.

After finishing up at school, he went on to graduate from Warwick University with a degree in film studies.

He briefly relocated to Marbella, Spain, to work at a strip club which his father purchased during a 'midlife crisis'.

Brett then moved to New York to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts until 2003.

There, he would write scripts and later turn his experience living in Marbella into a stand-up show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called Brett Goldstein Grew Up in A Strip Club.

Brett began acting in short films and had his first feature film role in the self-written thriller Wish You Were Here. 

In 2009, he made his TV debut in two episodes of ITV's long-running police drama The Bill. 

He then made appearances in several comedy series, such as the BBC's Uncle and E4's Drifters.

But his first big break wasn't until he starred as Tom in Ricky Gervais' 2013 TV show Derek.

In an interview with Esquire at the time, Brett opened up about his nerves on set.

He said: 'On my first day I was quite nervous – big f**king deal, working with Ricky Gervais, and it was my first big TV job – and I did take one, and he said, "Perfect! Let's move on."

'And I think he said, "I trust The Force: it looked good, felt good, I liked it. I don't want s**tloads of options in the edit. I trust it, let's move on."

'That's really inspiring, and sometimes I'm like that and sometimes I'm not. At some point you do just have to trust, because you can drive yourself insane.'

In 2015, Brett wrote and starred in the superhero film SuperBob and had a guest appearance on Catherine Tate's Nan. 

In 2016, he won the BIFA for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Brendan in the comedy film Adult Life Skills.

Two years later, he starred in Doctor Who and went on to launch a successful podcast, Films To Be Buried.

TV producer Bill Lawrence hired Brett as a writer for the 2020 Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.

However, he almost passed up the opportunity due to the short notice.

He told Entertainment Weekly: 'I was like, I’ve got some gigs. I’ve got some stand-up shows booked. 

'And he was like, "You're f**king mad if you turn this down for some stand-up gigs."'

Brett initially worked as a writer and executive story editor, but was later cast as Roy Kent after submitting an unsolicited audition.

He told Vulture: 'I still can’t believe it worked out, and I also can’t believe that I did it — basically, as we were writing it, I just started to think I could play Roy; I really get it. 

'So on my last day in the writers’ room, the night before, I [recorded a tape], five scenes as Roy, without telling anyone, and then I sent an email to Bill [Lawrence] and said, "I’ve been thinking I could play Roy… but if this is embarrassing, you can pretend you never got this email, and I will never ask you about it."

'Then I got a message from him at like three in the morning, going, "Oh! This is good. Let’s see." And then very luckily it all went ahead.'

Brett ended up winning two Emmy Awards for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Ted Lasso in 2021 and 2022.

Together with Black Mirror writer Will Bridges, Brett created and wrote a six-part science fiction series, Soulmates, for AMC. 

In 2022, he then signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television and later appeared as Hercules in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder. 

With so many credits under his belt, Brett has managed to earn an impressive net worth of $5million.

As for his love life, he tends to keep his personal life away from the spotlight.

In 2021, Brett confirmed his romance with comedian Beth Rylance during his acceptance speech for his first Emmy.

He said: 'I was very, very specifically told I'm not allowed to swear, so this speech is going to be f***ing short.

'Beth, I love you.'

However, the following year, it was reported that the pair had split after he landed his role in Thor.

The full interview with Brett Goldstein can be read in the September issue of Men's Health UK, on sale now