Suicidal and ‘Deep in Sin,’ Nickelodeon Star Reveals How He Found Faith

In 2004, former Nickelodeon teen star Kel Mitchell says his life was falling apart as his marriage to Tyisha Hampton was ending.

“I felt like I’d hit a wall,” Mitchell, 37, told PEOPLE. “I was like, ‘Okay. I need to figure out what I need to do in my life.'”

While dealing with his divorce, Mitchell says he had encountered a “confusion moment” in his life.

“I have been through so many ups and downs in my life,” Mitchell wrote on his blog. “Suicidal, divorce, drug and alcohol usage, deep in sin, dealing with the loss of loved ones to gang violence, debt, hurt, pain, vanity, lust, heartbreak, feeling LOST looking for answers.”

At that time, the former star of Nickelodeon’s All That says he decided to return to the faith he learned while growing up on the South Side of Chicago where his grandfather was a pastor.

“I was trying to figure it all out on my own. But what I needed to do was turn to Him,” says Mitchell, who now stars in the new Nickelodeon sitcom Game Shakers. “Once I found that clarity with Christ, I knew everything would work out.”

Today, Mitchell says he’s found “peace” thanks to God.

“I enjoy living this life,” Mitchell says. “I don’t let things frustrate or worry me anymore. I don’t do that because I have peace in my heart. I have God.”