Harry Potter star Tom Felton has revealed he battled alcohol problems and went to rehab three times.
The actor – best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the films – said he’d drink “to escape” when he was in his mid to late 20s and spent time in dive bars.
Now 35, he opened up about his battle in his new book Beyond The Wand: The Magic And Mayhem Of Growing Up A Wizard, after co-star Emma Watson urged him to share his story.
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“I went from being not particularly interested to regularly having a few pints a day before the sun had even gone down, and a shot of whiskey to go with each of them,” he wrote.
(Image: Getty Images for Montblanc)
“The alcohol, though, wasn’t the problem. It was the symptom. The problem was deeper.”
The star’s manager, agent and then girlfriend later staged an intervention and Tom went on to do two stints in rehab.
However, the first time he fled the facility within 24 hours and he was booted out of the second one.
Tom later went for treatment a third time, saying it was a hard decision to make but that being able to admit to himself that he needed help and was going to get it was “an important moment” for him.
(Image: © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.)
The star said he no longer worries about saying his mental health isn’t OK as it’s something many people go through.
“There’s no shame in that,” he said. “It’s not a sign of weakness.”
The actor has admitted that he wasn’t sure whether to open up about everything in his book.
But he said his close friend and co-star Emma – who starred as Hermione Granger in the wizarding movies – was one of the first people he spoke to about the book and that she encouraged him to tell his story.
(Image: FilmMagic)
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He told USA Today: “She was a massive influence to say, ‘No, put it all out there. Trust yourself. People will really connect with this’.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
