Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has disclosed that his drinking habit was so severe he had consumed the equivalent of 75 years' worth of alcohol by the time he turned 39. The Michelin-starred chef, now 49, said he realised he needed to change before his 40th birthday, fearing he would not reach 50.
Speaking on the Stompcast podcast, Kerridge explained: 'The way I view it is that if you live to 75 years old, you've got that amount of booze that you can drink until you're 75 - I did it all by the age of 40.' He added that approaching his 40th birthday, he thought: 'I've got to make a change here, because if I don't I won't make 50.'
Kerridge, who owns pubs and appears on shows such as MasterChef and The Great British Menu, said he had to quit alcohol completely because he could not limit himself to a single drink. 'I know there's no such thing as a glass of wine or a beer - there never was, it was always about this release of chaos and mayhem,' he said.
He has now been sober for nine years and lost 12 stone through diet and exercise. However, he admitted to some regret, saying: 'Sometimes I feel that I've let myself down that I can't enjoy a glass of wine on holiday, or a gin and tonic watching the sunset, or a beer with the boys at football.'
Previously, Kerridge told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that his heavy drinking helped drive his success, saying: 'Alcohol became a huge release for driving the business forward, to winning two Michelin stars... It always proved this massive release of energy, of pressure.' He acknowledged being dependent on alcohol and untrustworthy with it, adding that he hopes one day to enjoy a glass of red wine but currently cannot allow it in his life.
