Ulrika Jonsson marks one year sober after 'self-loathing' drove her to alcohol

Daily Mirror

5 hours ago

Former Gladiators host Ulrika Jonsson has marked one year of sobriety this week, celebrating her massive achievement and reflecting on what led her to drink in the first place
Ulrika Jonsson has reflected on the reasons she turned to alcohol as she marked one year of sobriety. The former Gladiators star revealed last year that she had been dealing with a secret drink problem, with concerned friends and family supporting her.
But after walking away from the drink, she has celebrated 12 months sober and reflected on what caused her to develop a problem. The star, 57, previously spoke about her issues with drinking and how she would "black out and not recall the night".
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She also admitted that drink offered her an escape from anxiety. "I drank to kill my feelings of anxiety and my fears of everything," she previously admitted.
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Mother-of-four Ulrika would sometimes drink until she blacked out, and concern grew among her friends when they would try to have a conversation with her but she made no sense. She admitted she would wake up with no memory whatsoever of the night before.
Writing in The Sun, Ulrika said that on June 5 last year, she was hungover and realised she couldn't continue drinking to the extent she was. She admitted she needed help, and text one of her friends, who had been on their own sobriety journey: 'I can't do this any more."
She said: "It was a hangover day, much like any other, really. I sat on the sofa with my liver and brain pickled in equal measure, wrapped up in the blanket of shame, and something made me reach out for help."
Although she was still functioning, with a career, close family and good friends, she suffered mentally. Ulrika heartbreakingly added: "There is nothing quite as 'sobering' as admitting to dropping to your knees at 11am and sticking your lips around a bottle of 40 per cent alcohol; feeling it swiftly burn your throat and immediately extinguish your anxiety, fears and self-loathing."
"Alcoholics come in all shapes and sizes and many live among us in plain sight," Ulrika said. She admitted her family has a history of alcoholism, leading her to think she could be predisposed to it.
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Marking her sobriety anniversary this week, she took to her Instagram page. Ulrika shared a before-and-after snap of her journey and how different she looks since kicking the drink.
She marked the first photo "Sober", sharing a glowing Ulrika pose for a selfie in the kitchen of her home as she went make-up free while rocking a pair of oversized glasses. Meanwhile, her second image saw a "drunk" Ulrika, posing for a glassy-eyed selfie in her bathroom after a night on the tiles.
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Captioning her post, Ulrika wrote: "Today I'm marking 1yr of sobriety. No fanfare, no medal, no trophy. The journey goes on. A huge thanks to all those beautiful people who have supported me; understood me; scooped me up and handled me tenderly and without judgement; who nudged me in the right direction; who made me laugh and helped me shed the crippling shame.
"Thank you to my kids for their support; for having faith in me after I must have worried them so. For close friends for their patience and belief. My sobriety will continue to be my priority. Turns out it IS possible to teach old dogs new tricks."
Ulrika's decision to get sober came after a frank conversation with a friend. She confessed: "One Saturday morning my best friend, who I love and cherish, called me and basically told me we had spoken the night before and she hadn't understood a word I had said.
"She told me I needed help. I knew it came from a place of love. The sense of shame would have been enough to make me want a drink. But not on that occasion. Instead, I sobbed like a child who desperately needed someone to hold her. I was full of despair."