Danny Dyer has revealed that a moment involving a pair of jeans convinced him to check into a rehab clinic as he feared he was “going to die”.
The Mr Bigstuff actor won three National Television Awards between 2015 and 2019 for his role as Mick Carter in EastEnders, but after one of the NTAs parties, he had an experience that made him realise his substance use had gone too far.
The 47-year-old has explained in a new interview that he knew things had to change when he struggled to get on a pair of jeans while in an en-suite toilet.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dyer said that the incident was a “moment of clarity” for him.
“It’s an odd story, but that was my moment of going, ‘Oh God, you’ve got to sort your life out, you’re going to die,’” he explained. “Of all the things that had happened, all the weird moments, that was the moment.”
Dyer added that while he doesn’t do drugs anymore, he still enjoys a beer and has taken up meditation.
“We’re only on this earth once,” said the Human Traffic star. “You need to experience as much stuff as you can and squeeze as much joy out of it as you can, and not beat yourself up too much. I’ve got a good balance at the moment. It took a long time to get there.”
Earlier this year, Dyer opened up about why his wife, Joanne Mas, has total control of their finances. Speaking on the ITV series, The Assembly, Dyer said that he was kicked out of his home in 2000 after it was discovered that he had been unfaithful.
The Rivals star said that Mas “controls everything now”. He continued: “Yes, she did kick me out because I was a p***k and she deserved better. Sometimes I would go out and get off my head, take drugs, and I wouldn’t come home for three days. I had issues. I never wanted the party to end. She had every right to throw me out.”
Last year, the actor said he had put his wife “through a lot of s***” while speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How to Fail podcast.
“It f***ed my head up when I became really famous,” he said. “I didn’t quite know what to do with it and I suppose she stood by me for a lot of s*** and had to be very patient with me.”
The actor continued: “I didn’t quite know who I was and I suppose she had to suffer all that on a national level. I love her with all my heart. You know, she challenges me every day. She’s kept me very grounded. I’ll tell you that now.”
