Former Love Island star Scott Thomas, known for appearing in the show's second season, has opened up about his decision to go sober and the wild alter ego he used to have when drinking. The 37-year-old has been sober since 2020 and now speaks about his former addictions to help others. He has revealed, six years on, how he struggled with drinking and gambling.
Early Drinking and the 'Scottish Special' Alter Ego
Speaking on therapist and best-selling author Marisa Peer's podcast, Your Mind, Your Rules, Scott said: "I always drank, from about 13, on the streets with my friends. It was part of our culture. From an early age, that's how I met girls, got my confidence, dealt with stress - drinking."
He added: "I looked really successful, a guy in Manchester mixing with celebrities, footballers, models. I was living what looked like the dream. But in order to be comfortable in that dream, I had to drink myself into oblivion and take lots of drugs. So what I was actually doing, looking back, was chasing recognition over myself."
Scott told Marisa that when he was taking drugs and drinking, he would transform into his alter ego known as "Scottish Special". He explained: "That was my alter ego in Manchester and even my Twitter name used to be Scottish Special, because that's who I hid behind, that was my armour. And when people met Scott, they didn't really know what to do with him."
"That used to kill me, because I'd wake up the next day dealing with the train wreck that Scottish Special left behind him: getting arrested for drunk and disorderly, gambling, upsetting people, getting kicked out of my own nights."
Gambling Problems and Dark Times
He added that when nights started ending at the casino, gambling became an issue for Scott. He recounted that one night he won £1,000 from a £20 bet and then things took a horrible turn.
"From that moment onwards I was never happy with a small win. Every time I gambled I had to win big and couldn't walk away. This problem took hold of me so fast, it started off as just part of a night out. It was one of the darkest times in my life, because no one knew about it."
Scott previously revealed that he had lost a lot of money while under the influence of alcohol. He shared on Instagram: "I've been arrested four or five times for drunk and disorderly behaviour. I'd wake up in a cell thinking, 'how the hell did I end up here?'"
Struggles with OCD and Rehab
This isn't the first time Scott has been open about his health struggles. Earlier this year, he revealed he had admitted himself to rehab after struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
"If I didn't tap something a certain amount of times, I thought someone was going to die," he told his twin Adam, 37, and Ryan, 41 on At Home With The Thomas Bros podcast in May. "And I'd be speaking to myself going, 'Everything's okay. Everything's okay. Everything's okay.'"
He revealed that he was reluctant to speak about this aspect of his life for fear of judgment, explaining that he felt he'd already spoken about his addiction issues and didn't want to share his other personal struggles.
"I've not talked about this because I didn't want anybody on my socials to think, 'f***ing hell, is there any problems this kid's not had?' Gambling, drink, everything. But then the more I've looked into it, I've been, it must be something to do with being neurodivergent, ADHD."
He revealed he was in the Hale Priory for cognitive behavioural therapy to help treat his OCD and is in a much better place now.
