Ulrika Jonsson shares secret alcohol problem and devastating moment she knew she needed to quit

Ulrika Jonsson has candidly discussed her relationship with alcohol - revealing she would drink to excess and black out whole evenings until she turned to a friend for help

Ulrika Jonsson has revealed a secret drink problem threatened to overpower her before she quit alcohol completely.

The 57-year-old presenting icon has revealed she would at times drink until she would black out. Friends were concerned when they would try to have conversations with her - but she was so drunk she made no sense - and she would wake up with no memory of the night before.

The Scandinavian bombshell admits she used to drink in order to deal with feelings of anxiety, but insists that her life is looking much better now that she has quit alcohol. She has now been sober for four months and has been thrilled by the health benefits that she has noticed.

The TV host - who grew to prominence as a weather host in the late 1980s - said that she had to reach a point where she wanted to find help herself as one concerned friend had already tried to tell her she had a problem. She is now sharing her story in the hope of helping others.

The star explained to The Sun: “Drink quelled my anxiety. It transported me to another place where I felt at peace — where the problems of the world couldn’t reach me and, most importantly, where I felt numb. I drank to kill my feelings of anxiety and my fears of everything.

“I was a highly functioning binge-drinker. I never woke up dishevelled in a pool of sick. But the number of times I would black out and not recall the night before when I had been drinking alone, were increasing."

Ulrika went on to reveal a friend bluntly confronted her and told her she had a problem. The friend rang her one weekend and told her that they had spoken over the phone the night before, but the former Gladiators host had been so drunk she had been nonsensical. The friend urged the TV star to seek help - but it wasn't until another friend, who was already sober themselves, gave her the support she needed that she decided to kick booze.

Ulrika recalled: “I was hungover again some days later and I had nothing but shame running through my veins. My head just knew that this was the end of life as I knew it then.

“I reached out to a friend who hasn’t had a drink for five years and said, ‘I can’t do this any more’. I had the gift of desperation. And that was my first sober day. I haven’t touched a drink since that day and I haven’t wanted to.”

Ulrika now says that she has been been booze free for 121 days and she feels "calm and clear" now her head is always free of hangovers and drunkenness. Recent statistics have suggested over 600,000 adults in the UK are alcohol dependant.

Last month, the government sparked a backlash when it was suggested plans are being considered to force pubs and bars to call last orders at 10pm in order to target harmful drinking. However, the move has been blasted by some who fear such a move would tip the UK into having a nanny state.

If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk

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