Michelle Heaton marked a milestone today, going without alcohol or drugs for 60 days.
The Liberty X singer revealed she had been “close to death” after admitting she had been drinking as much as a bottle of vodka, two bottles of wine and snorting cocaine every day since 2018.
In April this year, she went on a three-day-long cocaine bender, and was later rushed to The Priory for rehab after close celebrity friends, including Katie Price, intervened for the sake of their friend’s health.
Loose Women star Denise Welch, who has also beaten an addiction to booze, sent Michelle a sweet anniversary message on Instagram. She wrote,
"Happy sober anniversary 60 days. Congratulations to my beautiful friend. So very proud of you."
Michelle shared a picture of her sobriety medallions, gained from passing a certain amount of days without submitting to her addictions, and said proudly,
"Today I am 60 days clean and sober. There was a point where 6 hours would have been hard to do."
She revealed how hard her struggle has been and how much work she has put into her recovery, adding.
"There was a point where I gave up any hope, attempt, empty promises because I became so sick.
I admitted 60 days ago I was powerless to alcohol. And it had total control over me."
The mum of two then quoted the slogan used by Alcoholics Anonymous and other agencies that deal with addiction, saying, "One day at a time."
She continued, "One more day than yesterday. A moment's silence to all those still suffering like I was."
She concluded by giving her followers advice, saying, " The first step, the hardest step - to admit it to yourself you need help. Second is asking for it."
Several famous pals publicly congratulated her on her anniversary, and her honesty. Lorraine Kelly wrote, "Well done Michelle!" while her Full Monty co-stars Coleen Nolan and Victoria Derbyshire sent their love, as did Danielle Llloyd.
Michelle, who is only 41, has been plagued with health problems for nearly a decade. She had a hysterectomy nine years ago, then a double mastectomy in 2015 because she had a high risk of breast cancer. Since then she has been a passionate campaigner against breast cancer, and appeared on The Full Monty, stripping off to raise awareness of the disease.
The star was also devastated by the loss of her friend, Big Brother housemate Nikki Grahame, who died from complications around anorexia in April this year.
Michelle admitted, “Last September I hit rock bottom with the alcohol and had excruciating pains. My doctor could feel my liver sticking out because I was so thin. I had scratch scars because liver issues make your skin itchy.”
She continued, “I hadn’t washed properly, I was scruffy, I looked grey and I didn’t care.”
The singer has praised her second husband, Hugh Hanley, for being such a great support during her troubled times. The couple share two children, Faith, aged nine, and AJ, who is seven. Michelle was overjoyed when her kids were allowed to visit her during her stay in rehab.
