It’s tragic under-pressure Kit Harington is in rehab…but no surprise

IF you are reading this with even the slightest thought that becoming famous is in any way fulfilling, then Kit Harington’s post-Game Of Thrones descent should provide the ultimate antidote.

Here is a young actor at the absolute height of his fame and power — the leading man and breakout star of the most popular TV show in a generation.

Worth £10million and rising, he is married to his glamorous co-star Rose Leslie and, with filming on the gruelling eight-season drama now wrapped in Northern Ireland, the world is, in theory, his oyster.

Us mere mortals’ mouths water at the prospects.

He could take a year off and travel to every corner of the globe, perhaps. Work on an independent movie that has been a passion project. Return to the theatre.

Or even lie by the pool of his Hollywood mansion reading and eating caviar.

But now it has emerged, in an all-too-predictable showbiz tragedy, it emerged Kit has spent the past weeks in a luxury Connecticut health retreat to deal with stress and alcohol abuse.

Now I must be clear, I am not for a single second criticising Kit for his decision to face up very publicly to the strife he is currently in.

Like I’ve said many times before, there is no shame in seeking help.

If only many others took the same level of responsibility for their health.

The psychological coaching, mindful meditation and cognitive behavioural therapy he’s undergoing for more than £100,000 a month will hopefully set him up for a long future in the spotlight.

But it does make me sad that, because of the perils of fame, Kit missed the moment when the entire world was celebrating the role of a lifetime.

Instead, he seemed emotionally traumatised by the TV series coming to an end, talking in interviews about how he “started hyperventilating” as he went to shoot his final scenes, only to be followed by “this onslaught of relief and grief”.

Grief? It’s the end of a telly show. Sure, a good one.

Sure, one that changed his life. But it’s only fame that gives actors an unhealthy elevated sense of what meaning their job really has.

Kit’s situation is one I’ve witnessed time and time again.

Actor/singer/model spends life going to extreme lengths to become famous.

They then become famous. Within a couple of years and a few million pounds, they hate their new life.

Said life drives them to try to self-sabotage, whether it be by drink, drugs, adultery or petulant behaviour.

Sadly, all too often these vulnerable stars are advised by yes men and women who want what’s best for their own bottom line, not their client’s soul.

I have spent the past decade surrounded by some of the most famous people in the world.

And I am not exaggerating when I say the vast majority are unhappy — spooked by the unique mix of adoration, hate and curiosity that even the most minor celebrity brings.

As Kit himself put it: “I look back at who I was when I started Thrones and it’s emotional because that Kit is so different from me today.

“That Kit was just amazed at everything but now when I’m on a red carpet and there are flashbulbs, I take it for granted.”

He added “At the beginning it was exciting, then in the middle it started to get a bit weird.

“Now I don’t feel like I have to chase some kind of fame that maybe I was chasing at the start.”

So that’s why I genuinely urge you, before you hit send on that Love Island application or try out again for that boy band or audition for EastEnders, think of the consequences.

Wootton’s Week

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