Keith Chegwin opened up on his alcoholism with dark admission to Peter Kay
Peter Kay recalls a dark conversation with late Keith Chegwin and his battle with booze in an eye-opening segment of his new book.
The comedian's new tome TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen, pays homage to some of his favourite entertainers with the Bolton funnyman sharing a wealth of anecdotes about his time working in the TV industry.
In one chapter, Peter discusses an early TV appearance on now-extinct Channel 5 music show Night Fever, that was hosted on Saturday night's by Madness frontman Suggs. Describing the show as 'great fun' Peter says he agreed to appear five times as he was paid '£900 a pop' and given a free buffet breakfast for taking part.
"The show was easy to film, all you had to do was sing karaoke, and the panel of guests was a virtual who’s who (literally, because nobody knew who we were). Amanda Holden, Davina McCall, some wanker off The Bill, Handy Andy Kane, Jonathon Morris from Bread, Lionel Blair, Shaun Williamson (he loved it – a bit too much for my liking) and Keith Chegwin, to name but a few," recalls the comic.
Peter then goes on to reveal a candid moment with 'sharer' Keith who spoke to him openly about his battle with alcoholism. He writes: "I was sat in the canteen once chatting to the lovely Keith Chegwin. He was being very candid about his drink problems and he was quite the sharer.
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Peter Kay recalls an encounter with the late Keith Chegwin in new book, Big Adventures on the Small Screen
Kay's new book is out now“He said things got so bad at one point he actually resorted to drinking the windscreen wash from his car’s wipers: ‘Maggie [Philbin, his wife at the time] got suspicious when I insisted on cleaning the car five times a day. She came outside and caught me spraying the wiper fluid while trying to catch it in my mouth.’”
Keith spoke openly about his fight against alcoholism during the peak of his career. The TV presenter has died at the age of 60 in 2017 after a long-term battle with a progressive lung condition.
During an appearance on This Morning, Keith, who was 34 at the time of the frank interview, said: "I am an alcoholic. It's a disease."
He said his hectic work schedule led him into a downward spiral where he needed a drink to relax and help him sleep. "I'm just frightened because, God, I could so easily pick up a drink. I was in the hotel last night. I would have loved to have sat in the bar and had a drink but I couldn't. The moment I have a drink, then bang I am gone. It won't be a couple of gin and tonics, it would be like two bottles."
Comedian Keith Chegwin sadly died in 2017The presenter told then hosts Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan he had undergone two four-week spells in a drying out clinic. He said he battled against the bottle by checking into a private clinic but started drinking as soon as he came out, adding: "I just said, 'Oh sod it, I'll see if this clinic has worked or not and I'll just have one'. But the trouble is I can't just have one."
Born in Walton, Liverpool, the star, known to millions as Cheggers, started out as a child actor. In later years he took part in shows such as Dancing On Ice, Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Big Brother.
Chegwin rose to fame alongside Noel Edmonds on the hit Saturday morning children's show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop. He also fronted his own hit show Cheggers Plays Pop in the 1970s and 80s.
* T.V: Big Adventures On The Small Screen by Peter Kay is published by HarperCollins and is out now.
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