Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has revealed the extent of his alcohol addiction - and what made him turn his life around.
The Michelin-starred restaurateur, 49, is a popular face on shows such as The Great British Menu, but 10 years ago Tom admitted his life was 'chaotic'.
In a stark admission, the father-of-one revealed he'd drunk '75 years worth of alcohol by the time he was 39'.
Opening up about his lifestyle on the Stompcast podcast, Tom said: “The way I view it is that if you live to 75 years old, you’ve got that amount of booze that you can drink until you’re 75 - I did it all by the age of 40.
"I know there’s no such thing as a glass of wine or a beer - there never was, it was always about this release of chaos and mayhem."
Tom, who has now been sober for nine years, said he had to stop the booze completely as he turned 40 because he could ‘never’ limit himself to just one drink.
"It was massively a part of my life, and still is - I own pubs, I sell it and I’m passionate about people who make it," he pointed out before admitting: “It’s not something that I know I can be a part of."
When asked whether he missed being able to have a drink, Tom added: “I do a bit, because sometimes I feel that I’ve let myself down that I can’t enjoy a glass of wine on holiday, or a gin and tonic watching the sunset, or a beer with the boys at football.
“I just can’t do it because everything I do is quite excessive.”
The talented chef has also been open about his staggering weight loss.
At his heaviest, Tom weighed in at 30 stone when he turned 40 - but then lost 12 stone in five years.
Tom decided to cut down on the amount of carbs he was consuming and started following a dopamine diet.
This meant eating food that boosts your levels of the 'happy hormone'.
“It’s impossible to lose weight and keep the weight off for good if you don’t enjoy what you’re eating,” he told The Mirror in 2017.
“The NHS offers really sound advice about how to lose weight so I’ve taken this as the starting point for creating delicious low-calorie dishes people will want to eat every day.
"The cooking techniques mean there’s no compromise on flavour and you’re promised a generous plate of food! I’m hoping this will help more people to lose weight and still love what they eat.”
*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
