Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington has spoken candidly about his past addictions.
In conversation with The Sunday Times, the 34-year-old revealed how, during and after his stint as the iconic Night’s Watchman Jon Snow, “some pretty horrible stuff” occurred in his personal life.
“Things that have happened to me since Thrones ended, and that were happening during Thrones, were of a pretty traumatic nature and they did include alcohol.
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Related: Game of Thrones star Kit Harington discusses being a parent with Rose Leslie
“You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person. And you feel that there’s no way out, that’s just who you are,” Harington recalled. “And getting sober is the process of going, ‘No, I can change.’
“One of my favourite things I learnt recently is that the expression ‘a leopard doesn’t change its spots’ is completely false: that a leopard actually does change its spots. I just think that’s the most beautiful thing. It really helped.
“That was something I kind of clung to; the idea that I could make this huge fundamental change in who I was and how I went about my life.”
HBO / Helen Sloan
Related: Game of Thrones star Kit Harington speaks about “mental health difficulties” after show
The soon-to-be MCU star (in this autumn’s Eternals) was later asked if he felt suicidal at any point during his struggles.
“I will give you an answer to that question: the answer is yes. Yes of course. I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things.
“I definitely don’t want to be seen as a martyr or special,” Harington went on to insist. “I’ve been through something, it’s my stuff. If it helps someone, that’s good.
“I will say about my addictions that I kept them very, very quiet and I was incredibly secretive and incredibly locked up with them. So they came as quite a surprise to the people around me. Which is quite often the case, I guess.”
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Alcohol Change UK offers information, advice and support with their questions about drinking and the problems that can sometimes be caused by alcohol. For more information, visit Alcohol Change UK’s website. Drinkline also offers free, confidential advice to anyone who is concerned about their own or someone else’s drinking on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am–8pm, weekends 11am–4pm).
Readers can also contact Drinkaware.
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