Richard Mylan, best known for his roles in Waterloo Road and The Bill, has spoken publicly for the first time about his 20-year battle with heroin addiction. The 48-year-old actor, who has been in recovery for a decade, said he was one of a 'number of many functioning professional addicts'.
Mylan said he began taking illegal drugs at the start of his acting career in London's West End, describing it as 'the biggest mistake I ever made'. He recalled a 'one night of weakness' after a few drinks that started his addiction, which led to a 'cycle of abuse' that saw him spiral between using and getting clean.
The father of two said his addiction 'robbed me of my inner ambition' and caused chaos in his personal and work relationships. He decided to tackle his addiction 10 years ago as his drug use was getting 'dangerously worse', and he did not want to become one of the approximately 4,500 people who die each year in the UK from drug abuse.
Mylan credited his wife Tammie with helping him get the support he needed. He now works with south Wales-based substance misuse charity Adferiad to help other recovering addicts and challenge the stigma surrounding addiction. 'Stigma has kept me from talking until now,' he said. 'Being in recovery doesn't define you and each step forward is a step towards who you really are.'
