Following his release from rehab, Ant McPartlin has spoken of the sheer relief of admitting to his problems and getting help.
“From the moment I went in there was a massive sense of relief because they [painkillers] didn’t have control over me any more,” he revealed in an exclusive interview with The Sun.
“When I first went in I was so bad I was just happy to have someone looking after us.
“They changed all the meds — started managing it.”
Ant had sought help primarily for addiction to a cocktail of painkillers, but also his alcohol consumption, which had increased over the years as he battled pain from a knee injury.
And he was happy to receive some good news from doctors.
“The great thing is I spoke to a lot of the medical team and I’m not an alcoholic. I was just drinking too much to numb the pain,” he confirmed.
Read more: Ant reveals he almost died before rehab
“It was never crazy — I wouldn’t wake up in the morning and have a drink. But it was the mixing pills with alcohol that was deadly.
“I’ve taken a little break from booze — I’ve done two months and I’ll do a little bit longer.
“But I’m looking forward to having a pint. God, yes!
“I can’t go to Australia and not have a cold one at the surf club with Dec like we normally do.
“That’s something to look forward to but I have to get well first.”
Read more: Joyful news for I’m A Celebrity fans
Spot that mention of Australia? Great to see he already has a return to TV for I’m A Celebrity in his sights!