Sir Bradley Wiggins, the former Tour de France winner and five-time Olympic champion, has opened up about his battle with cocaine addiction following his retirement from cycling.
Wiggins retired from cycling in 2016 and spiralled into addiction in the following years to the extent in which his children wanted to put him in rehab amid fears the issue could prove fatal.
The father of two is now 12 months sober, without going to rehab, and counts himself "lucky to be here."
"There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning," he said, according to the Observer.
"I was a functioning addict. People wouldn't realise. I was high most of the time for many years.
"I was walking a tightrope. I realised I had a huge problem. I had to stop. I'm lucky to be here."
Since ending his career in 2016, Wiggins has spoken about his father's jealousy and being groomed by a coach as a child.
The 45-year-old, who last year was declared bankrupt, said disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has helped his recovery, including offering to pay for therapy.
"My addiction was a way of easing that pain that I lived with," said Wiggins, according to Cycling Weekly.
"I'm still figuring a lot of this out but what I have got is a lot more control of myself and my triggers; I'm a lot more at peace with myself now which is a really big thing."
Additional reporting by Press Association.
