Aussie actress Emily Weir first shot to fame as Mackenzie Booth on the hit soap Home and Away – and has become a firm favourite amongst fans.
The character first arrived in Summer Bay as the older sister of Dean Thompson (Paddy O’Connor) in 2019.
And for over four years, 32-year-old Emily has played the brunette beauty and she’s had many major storylines since her first appearance.
READ MORE: Home and Away Andrew star opens up on landing ‘dream role’ despite being ‘too shy’ to act
And while her on-screen character has been dealt a few dramas in her life, the same can also be said for Emily.
Three years ago, Emily surprised fans by bravely revealing she had previously struggled with alcoholism – and is living a sober lifestyle.
What’s more, in recent episodes of the soap, Mackenzie was heartbroken to find out how ex-partner Gabe Miller had sadly passed away due to cancer.
So, as Mac faces even more grief in upcoming episodes, Daily Star is taking a look inside her battle with alcohol.
‘Reliant’ on alcohol in her 20s
(Image: weir.emily / Instagram)
According to Emily, she became “reliant” on booze throughout her 20s and eventually sought help from AA and a counsellor in order to stop drinking.
She told Who Magazine in 2020: “I was self-medicating with red wine, but I managed to hide it all really well.
“I ignored the issue because I wanted to travel and party with my friends, like most people in their early 20s.
“I started drinking more at that time because it combated the anxiety and all my fears dissipated. But I became reliant on booze.”
Emily later revealed that she had spoken out with the hopes of helping others realise the issue is more common place than they may think and it can “affect anyone.”
Terrifying ‘epiphany’
(Image: weir.emily / Instagram)
In 2020, Emily recalled an ‘epiphany’ which forced her to give up her booze addiction.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the actress said: “I had an epiphany on a massive hangover where I realised I wasn’t living my best life.
“The epiphany was basically a dream of me as an older woman, full grey hair in plaits with true (red wine) blood mouth, covered in cat hair, alone.”
She went on: “The thought was that if I kept going the way I was, that could be my life. Alcohol for me was my poison.”
Hitting rock bottom
(Image: WireImage)
Overtime, the endless parties and drinks became a lot less fun for Emily.
“Things were on the line and I nearly lost hope. It was difficult to ask for help, because I had too much pride,” she told TV Week recently.
“So when I was at what felt like the point of no return, something inside me said, ‘I have to change. I need help.’ The turning point for me was hitting rock bottom.”
She also revealed it was the heartache of her parent’s divorce at the time that saw her turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
However, the Aussie star managed to quit prior to being cast in Home and Away in 2019.
Soap bosses ‘not aware’
Emily’s soap character Mac had struggles with alcohol on the show and according to the actress, Home And Away’s producers were not aware of her own struggles.
“It was just one of those things that never came up in conversation,” she said.
“It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it. It just wasn’t something we spoke about.
“So it was interesting when an article came out about me going sober and about how alcohol and I were not friends and that I go to AA.
“The producers were like, ‘Are you going to be OK? We can change (the storyline)’. I was like, ‘Absolutely not. This is one story that I know how to tell’.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
