Darren Day reveals he’s gone a year without booze after drug and alcohol addiction relapse in lockdown
DARREN Day has revealed that he has gone a year without booze following his drug and alcohol addiction relapse in lockdown. The 52-year-old star’s life spiralled out of control in the ’90s when he spent £2,000 a week on cocaine, and has now shared his pride at staying clean for a full 12 months. Sharing […]
DARREN Day has revealed that he has gone a year without booze following his drug and alcohol addiction relapse in lockdown.
The 52-year-old star’s life spiralled out of control in the ’90s when he spent £2,000 a week on cocaine, and has now shared his pride at staying clean for a full 12 months.
Sharing a photo of his one-year recovery plaque to Instagram, the actor admitted that he hoped his achievement would help inspire others who are struggling.
He wrote: “I’m sharing this day to give hope and strength to anyone and everyone in recovery or seeking sobriety hope and strength.
“After a relapse at the beginning of the first Lockdown in 2020. I’m one year sober today! We can do this! 
”
Darren was inundated with congratulations from his proud followers, including Gemma Collins who commented a string of clapping emojis.
Speaking in March, Darren admitted to his relapse during a candid discussion on Vicky Pattison’s podcast – explaining that his mental health took a blow when work dried up due to Covid.
He shared at the time: “I was a week away from Footloose, the musical I was going to be doing, me and Gareth Gates. We were one week from rehearsals when everything was pulled.
“And I kept it together for a couple of weeks, but I’m not gonna lie… I relapsed at the beginning of the lockdown.
“It shook me so much that I got back into sobriety like I did at the beginning. I got into AA meetings, NA meetings, on Zoom, and everything like that.”
Darren went on to reveal that his relapse had made him realise how much he stands to lose.
He said: “The biggest thing to come out of lockdown for me personally, which has to be more important than any of the career stuff, is I’m now a month and a half away from being a year sober again.
“For me that’s the big one, because without sobriety my career’s gone, my family’s gone, my partner.”
West End favourite Darren added he was confident he could maintain his sobriety after managing to get back on track in the toughest of situations.
He said: “It’s ironic really that I should have got stuck into recovery like never before when there’s no work and f*** all to do.
Most read in Celebrity
“For an ex-addict, having f*** all to do and no structured day is a disaster waiting to happen. But if I can do it under these circumstances, I hope I’ll be OK when everything goes back to normal.”
Darren previously admitted during Celebrity Big Brother in 2016 that he was told during a rehab stint in 2001 that he would be dead within six months if he did not give up drugs.
He said: “I came out of rehab and was using within three days and I carried on until the end of 2005.
“Then a few years ago I got told if you drink again it will f***ing kill you and I carried on drinking.”