“Game Of Thrones” star Kit Harington admitted to having some very dark days amid his battle with alcohol addiction.
The star said he was grateful he had the opportunity to get his life back on track and noted there was a time he wasn’t certain he’d be able to during an interview with GQ published Aug. 12. Harington said he struggled with mental health issues amid his addiction and contemplated taking his own life.
“I was so lucky I got sober before having kids,” he told the publication. There was a time when it was “physically and emotionally impossible for me not to drink again,” he continued.
MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 13: Kit Harington attends a photocall during Fendi Fall/Winter 2024/2025 fashion show as part of the Milan Fashion Week on January 13, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Fendi)
Harington sought treatment for alcoholism in 2019 at the height of his fame in “Game of Thrones” and entered rehab as the finale was being produced. He previously admitted to experiencing suicidal thoughts at that time, according to GQ.
The journey toward recovery wasn’t an easy one and he said he considers sobriety to be a true accomplishment.
“The very fact that I can be proud of it is an achievement,” he said.
He went on to describe how hard on himself he was during his darkest hours.
“Because before getting sober, I would stare in the mirror and call myself a cunt,” he said. “I’d hate myself.”
The fame and fortune may have appeared fulfilling from afar, but Harington’s internal struggle was very real.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Kit Harrington attends the red carpet premiere of the Apple Original Series “Extrapolations” at Hammer Museum on March 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/FilmMagic) Getty Images
“I would literally despise myself and not be proud of anything I’d done. I couldn’t be proud,” he said, as he explained the deterioration of his mental health at the time. “So the fact that I am proud of getting sober is in and of itself a mark of being an entirely different person. And now, every set I step onto, whatever work I do, I’m proud of, because I know I put everything into it.”
He contrasted his current state of mind with his past experiences, saying, “whereas before I had this huge monkey on my back that was just, like, weighing me down.”
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“So yeah, the whole nature of being proud of myself is a relatively new prospect for me.”
The star is aware that life may throw him a curve-ball. (RELATED: ‘I Hung Myself’: Actor Alan Ritchson Describes Suicide Attempt)
“Look, I can’t tell what the future brings,” he said.
“I might have one massive, messy, chaotic relapse. And I hope that doesn’t happen,” he told GQ. “But I think I protect myself by talking about it.”
