Spencer Matthews has admitted he could have died if he hadn't of stopped his 'abusive' drinking habits which were ultimately ruining his life.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 35, is now a father of three and married to TV presenter Vogue Williams after turning his life around, but he has candidly opened up about his past struggles with alcohol and how deeply it impacted his well being.
Appearing on the Boots podcast Taboo Talk, which is hosted by his wife, Spencer revealed: "I could have lost you, I could have lost work, I could have died not to be overly dramatic about it, but that's the way it was heading." He also credited Vogue for helping him break free from his destructive drinking habits.
Nowadays, Spencer enjoys a more balanced relationship with alcohol: "I feel very fortunate to have found that level of balance. I'm sober most of the time now. I've gone from problem-drinking on a daily basis to having a drink if I feel like it very irregularly."
Reflecting on his past, Spencer admitted that his excessive drinking began during his time on Made In Chelsea, a period he described as being 'bored and unambitious'. The founder of CleanCo recalled a moment of clarity when he found himself drinking alone at night.
'I stopped drinking booze on dates and it made life much more exciting'Spencer explained: "One night, when I was alone, I had a bottle of whiskey and struggled to get myself to bed. I was hammered drunk. I remember waking up the next day and thought 'I don't need this in my life'. If I wasn't married to someone who didn't have a great relationship with alcohol, as in you don't really like it, then my journey would have been more difficult."
Spencer, who has been happily married to the Irish TV star Vogue since 2018, shared his experience on their joint podcast called Spencer and Vogue. Sharing his initial thoughts when he first met Vogue, Spencer claimed: "I thought you were ok, I thought you had some questionable exes if I'm honest, so that was a bit of a red flag for me."
Startled by his confession, Vogue jokingly fired back: "I was a red flag to you? What?! That is the most bonkers s**t. Haha! Oh my god." But Spencer revealed he doubted Vogue's 'taste' as he knew who she was dating at that time. Despite this, they became quick friends, with Spencer adding: "You and I gelled better than anyone else on that show straight away, so you and I were kind of best mates from day one."
"And it was great, my first impression of you was nothing short of brilliant. We didn't really fancy each other fully at the start, as we've said about a billion times whenever we're asked.
Vogue shared her initial thoughts on Spencer: "You came in, you reeked of booze at the time, and you weren't very well put together I definitely didn't fancy you. You arrived late as well, and I can't stand when people are late... So I thought, 'oh god, this is not a great first impression, he's late... And then when we were friends on the slopes straight away, then we were like best pals."
If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk