Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington has said he’s grateful he got sober before becoming a father, as he opened up on his addiction battle.
The actor checked himself into the luxury wellness retreat in Connecticut in 2019, after reportedly turning to alcohol following the end of the hit HBO show which propelled his career as the character Jon Snow.
Speaking about his journey, the 35-year-old, who became a parent for the first time when his wife, actress Rose Leslie, who played Ygritte in Game Of Thrones, gave birth to a son last year, Kit said becoming sober ‘saved’ him.
Talking about addiction, the thespian, who is set to star in Henry V, told the Guardian this week: ‘This is a very addictive job.
‘In a week’s time, I’m going to go out, stand on stage and get applause and it’s going to be a huge rush and a high.
‘The trouble is, I never really wanted to come down from that high.
‘Now, I’ve learned how I do that and I’m much happier for it… So I’m well on my path to recovery, and all I can say to anyone thinking about it is it’s a wonderful way of living your life.
‘It saved me, for sure. I feel like a much more grounded, settled person. I’m so grateful that I got sober before having a child.’
London-born Kit added that there is a part of him that is ‘always trying to get away’ from the Game Of Thrones comparison.
Talking about his experience during the end of the popular series, he added: ‘I wasn’t very well through a portion of it towards the end, so I could say that an element of me didn’t survive it.
‘But I think that would have happened were I in that show or not.
‘I look at it with great fondness. I feel very privileged to have been in it and I’m continuing to get to be in the theatre, in large part, because of that show. There’s a baby boy downstairs, and my wife, who I met on the show.’
Kit has made no secret about his personal struggles in interviews, including how he battled with his sudden rise to fame on GoT.
Following the finale, he told GQ Australia: ‘The last season of Thrones seemed to be designed to break us. Everyone was broken at the end. I don’t know if we were crying because we were sad it was ending of if we were crying because it was so f***ing tiring. We were sleep deprived.’
Confirming his rehab stint at the time, Kit’s spokesperson previously told Metro.co.uk: ‘Kit has decided to utilise this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues.’
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email [email protected], message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
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