Andrew Lloyd Webber, the celebrated composer behind musicals such as Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera, has revealed he is a recovering alcoholic. The 78-year-old disclosed his struggles for the first time in an interview with The Times, stating that he had checked himself into a clinic for help, but admitted it did not work.
He then began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, first in Switzerland and later in the UK, which he said he 'adored'. Lord Lloyd-Webber described his recovery as 'the best thing that ever happened to me', adding: 'You think it’s secret, but it’s not, everybody knows. I started getting into a downhill spiral and about 18 months ago the family were in a desperate state. My wife was feeling she couldn’t go on.'
The composer now attends a meeting every day while moving between his homes in London, Hampshire and New York. He said being recognised at meetings was 'not an issue', and noted that his favourite meeting is in St Louis with 'a whole load of rednecks'. He praised AA for its egalitarian nature, saying: 'What I love about it is, you go into a room and everybody’s equal.'
Lord Lloyd-Webber credited a turning point in his battle with addiction to hearing someone else describe the 'stupidity' of it, including 'the hiding and the pretending'. He admitted he had been drinking vodka to conceal his habit. One of the songs he wrote while under the influence was 'No Matter What', later a hit for Boyzone.
