Strictly star Iwan Thomas marks celebrates 12 months of sobriety with distressing photo of himself passed out at the height of alcohol battle after years of drinking to feel 'accepted'
The Welsh Olympian, 51, who competed on the BBC dance show back in 2015,
also posted a candid video to his Instagram as he opened up about getting sober and said he was now a 'better father' and 'better person'.
In the distressing snap the father-of-four can be seen laying next to a toilet after a night of binge drinking, explaining how he would turn to alcohol to feel 'accepted' and confident in social situations.
Iwan said: So I am a year sober and so proud, let me explain because it's the most awkward thing when people say "Don't you want you want a drink why do you have an issue?"'
'So I didn't think I did but I never drank for pleasure if I'm honest, I drank for acceptance'. That might seem a bit weird to some people because I seem confident but I'd have to have four or five drinks in any social situation just to feel relaxed,'
He continued: 'But that wasn't great because I didn't have a switch and those four or five drinks led to shots, a crazy night and I'd have a two day hangover'.
'The following week then I'd have anxiety, depression, self loathing. So I thought "Stop" does drinking make me a better dad no? does not drinking make me a better dad? Yes'.
Iwan went on to admit that he missed drinking and the 'short term buzz' booze offered, but was much happier now without the negative effects alcohol.
He captioned the post: 'Well today is a big milestone for me. Being sober isn't for everyone and it might not be for me forever. But at the moment it's how I'm choosing to live and if I'm honest I think it makes me a better person. I'm in no way trying to tell people how to live their lives, all I'm saying is I'm proud of myself'.
Fans and famous friends rushed to congratulate the athlete on the milestone with Denise Welch writing: 'Amazing!!'.
While Harry Potter actor Oliver Phelps said: 'Well done dude!' and Barbara Windsor's widow Scott Mitchell added: 'Just brilliant Iwan!!! Feel proud my friend!'
In March Iwan's son Teddy has been rushed to hospital after breaking his arm after an accident.
Posting snaps of Teddy, six, bandaged up with his cast on in the hospital bed, Iwan gushed over how proud he was of his son's bravery.
He penned: 'We are so immensely proud of Teddy. He has been through so much in his life already and now a broken arm that required surgery but yet he doesn't moan at all, just gets on with it and shows nothing but kindness and love to others.
'We can all learn so much from kids, their resilience and courage humbles me daily.
'Thank you Teddy for teaching me so much and making me want to be a better person….Thanks for all the kind messages of support'.
Teddy had a challenging start in life after he was born premature back in December 2018 and was taken straight to the intensive care unit at the Princess Anne hospital in Southampton after experiencing problems with his breathing.
He told fans at the time: 'Yesterday was the worst day of my life looking at my everything with tubes everywhere in an incubator. He is now beginning to breathe better for himself without full aid of machines, I now know what true unconditional love is.'
Iwan later revealed his son had Group B Strep and this was the cause of his breathing difficulties.
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a bacteria that is carried by up to 40 per cent of adults, usually in the gut, and 25 per cent of women in their vaginas, without typically causing symptoms.
Infants can suffer early-onset GBS infections, which are much more common and occur when the infant is up to six days old, if they come into contact with the bacteria in the womb or during birth.
This causes them to develop rapid breathing problems and blood poisoning.
Speaking on This Morning the athlete said that he went into shock following the news that his son was in intensive care following breathing difficulties.
He explained: 'I went home to have a shower, and got a phone call and they said please come back he's in intensive care. I thought, is this a joke?'
The father said during the pregnancy no one had said anything about Strep B.
He continued: 'We weren't are of it at all, if we'd known we would have had the private test for it.'
Once he got back to the hospital Iwan revealed it was a tough time for him and his partner: 'It was frightening, before you know it, there were tubes everywhere.'
After a day he said that Teddy was moved from nursery 4 and into nursery 1 intensive care units and doctors thought he was out of the worst of it.
But then his blood score was measured, which showed the level of virus in his blood.
Iwan continued: 'It had gone from 14 to 120 - and they had to do a lumbar puncture to do a see if he had an infection in his spinal fluid or in his brain,
'I went home that night and cried and then made the mistake of googling Strep B and read one in 10 babies die after treatment.'
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