RBD's Christian Chavez Opens Up About Losing 'Everything' After He Was Outed — and How He Regained 'Control'

Oscar Fónseca Christian Chavez

RBD's Christian Chavez has taken control of his life after he was outed in 2007, eventually falling into a deep depression that led him to a suicide attempt.

In light of RBD's newly announced reunion tour, Chavez opened up to PEOPLE about his journey since the band split in 2009 and "the dark side" of his story.

Around 2007, Chavez was at the top of his game. He held a lead role in the hit Mexican telenovela Rebelde and the pop group RBD — which consisted of Chavez, Alfonso Herrera, Anahí, Dulce María, Maite Perroni and Christopher von Uckermann — gained major popularity from the show. Little did he know that everything he worked for would come to a screeching halt.

"My producer called me [one day] and he was like, 'Hey, are you married?' And I was like, 'Oh f—, why?'" recalled Chavez, 39, who had married his then-husband two years prior in a small backyard ceremony, but still managed to keep his sexuality a secret from the public.

Steve Jennings/WireImag RBD

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"He knew that I was gay and he knew that he was my partner, but I didn't talk about the marriage. Dulce, Anahí, and Maite knew," Chavez says. "He talked to me and he was like, 'Somebody got the pictures and they're trying to blackmail [the network] Televisa .' And at that time, we were on the top of the top and there were a lot of children going to the concerts and following us. So he was like, 'This is it. Televisa wants to deny the whole thing.'"

His producer then asked Chavez what he wanted to do.

"I would've loved to have someone say, 'It's OK. You could be who you are and it's OK. You're going to be a successful person. You don't have to do this and be a failure,'" he recalls. "So he was like, 'OK, then write it down in a letter and pour your heart on it.'"

Oscar Fónseca Christian Chavez

"It was so hard for me because I was just 23 years old and I didn't have any guidance," he adds. "There was Ricky Martin, but Ricky Martin was not even out yet. I didn't know how to [handle it] —especially because I was being forced to do it and I was not ready."

The next day the letter was posted to the RBD fan page and it was "everywhere" — though Chavez managed to leave the word "gay" out because he was "so scared of people's reactions."

Once the letter was released, the public reception was positive, he says: "They were like, 'This is so amazing, it's so good for us as a society to start changing our lives and start to feel proud of who we are.' And honestly, I thought that was it. I'm going to be happy. I'm going to be me. But of course, it's not a soap opera."

Only a week after speaking out, Chavez got a call from the network saying that their plans to have him as a "lead man" were no more — because fans weren't going to believe he was "straight."

Christian Chavez/instagram RBD

Chavez was left in complete shock and believed his career as an actor was over — so he decided to turn to music.

He made his first solo album titled Almas Transparentes — which dropped in 2010 — and says he kept his music genderless in fear of backlash. Then, he got a call from his label saying radio stations refused to play his record because it was "gay music."

"I was so depressed and I was so destroyed at that moment. At the same time, my dad, who I believe was trying to protect me, said, 'You have to be very manly with how you act and what you do because that's the only way they're going to respect you.' That's something that really stuck in my head. So I was out, but I was not free."

Oscar Fónseca Christian Chavez

This was his breaking point.

"I was in a very bad place. I thought that was it. I tried to kill myself and there was a moment in my life that I could say that I lost everything," Chavez tells PEOPLE. "I didn't have money. I was a joke for the media. I was hating myself."

Six years later, Chavez found the motivation to pick himself back up and took on theater gigs.

"It was hard. I'm not going to lie — but I did it. Some days I was like, 'Oh, I'm sick of this. I don't want to do this anymore.' But something kept me fighting for it and I think it was a passion for what I do," says the singer, who goes to therapy once a week to continue to prioritize his mental health.

Chavez adds, "Now that I'm healed and I have so much to offer, I don't regret everything. I honestly do believe that things happen for a reason. And without that happening to me, I wouldn't be the same. So I have this purpose now."

Oscar Fónseca Christian Chavez

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Chavez has also found healing in sharing his story with others, in hopes that it might save someone's life.

"I'm working with so many associations involving suicide, LGBTQ+ teenagers, HIV awareness and all these things that are really important for me because now I've taken back the narrative. I took control of what's going on," he says. "Life is giving me the opportunity to be here again, being myself and loving myself." (In 2020, he released a song titled "Celos" and starred in Netflix's La Casa De Las Flores. In 2021, he starred in La Suerte de Loli.)

Meanwhile, his new-found joy and confidence will shine on stage in RBD's upcoming tour, which will kick off on Aug. 26 in El Paso, Texas, featuring the band's original members with the exception of Herrera, who is focusing on his acting career.

"I'm going to be that little Christian who wanted to wear different clothing, sparkles and who wanted to be himself on stage. Finally, I'm going to get to be the real Christian," he says with excitement.

He also has some words of advice for fans with a similar story: "There's always an opportunity to go out and be yourself. It doesn't matter if you are 40, 50 and you're thinking, 'Oh no, but I'm already old. Why should I go against the rules or why should I fight?' Do it. It's worth it. Because I do believe that we only live once and we have to be who we want to be."

Listen to RBD's latest single "S.H.E.A." here.