Broke Bachelorette star Apollo's emotional return to reality TV

Bachelorette star Apollo Jackson appears on the new season of Australia's Got Talent. Photo / Channel 7

Former Bachelorette star Apollo Jackson has become emotional over his ongoing money problems while making his debut on another reality TV program.

Apollo, 26, first appeared in Sophie Monk's season of The Bachelorette in 2017 and in the series' spin-off, Bachelor in Paradise, last year.

But while his popularity on-screen may have boosted his Instagram followers, it hasn't translated into a booming career.

Appearing on the premiere of Australia's Got Talent, Apollo revealed he'd been struggling to make ends meet since first breaking into TV, and he was so broke he'd had to move in with his parents and allow his phone to be cut off.

The aspiring magician became visibly emotional as he explained he'd been trying to turn his passion into a full-time career for "12 years" but had faced "so many setbacks".

"After The Bachelorette, work really dried up super quickly. I've had to do whatever I can to pay the bills. Security, landscaping, telemarketing, hospitality," he said emotionally.

"There are times it gets really hard and you feel like giving up. My phone's cut off, I'm living at home, I'm super broke."

It's not the first time Apollo has complained publicly about his finances. In May, he revealed he hadn't worked for a year and had to cancel a show after selling only 11 tickets, leaving him "unable to afford a dentist" and having his "phone, subscriptions — both entertainment and work — cut off".

Meanwhile, Apollo's jaw-dropping act on AGT stunned the judges and audience who watched on in horror as he was suspended upside down in a straitjacket above a bed of flaming spikes while he tried to escape.

He was even doused in fuel and set on fire as he attempted to flick a switch in a locked box suspended from the ceiling in order to free himself before he was dropped onto the spikes.

While he suffered some minor injuries, the death-defying stunt won over the judges, securing Apollo's entry into the next round of the competition.