Paul Danan has opened up about struggling with his sobriety in the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house.
The former ‘Celebrity Love Island’ star was evicted from the show over the weekend, and admitted during his time as a housemate that he’d been tempted to drink alcohol by the experience, despite having been clean and sober since 2012.
Since his eviction, Paul has spoken out about the temptation to drink in the house, admitting his “recovery was tested”.
He told The Sun: “Can you imagine you’re sitting and everyone is drinking and you’re not?”
However, he went on to say that seeing his housemates drinking eventually made him want to stay clean, adding: “It was empowering me.
“The more I watched them get drunk and how they changed from day to night made me want to stay sober.
“I’ve not found it easy to sustain recovery all the time.
“It’s well known about my struggles and it’s well known I’ve been to treatment. And this was my chance to show I was over my demons and I did it – surrounded by booze and people being drunk around me. ”
Paul even revealed that his sobriety struggles pushed ‘CBB’ producers to waive one of the show’s most pivotal rules, allowing him to read a book to help him through his journey.
He added (via The Mirror): “I have a daily reflection book called ‘Just For Today’ and I was able to read once a day. It gave me strength and allowed me to remember I was staying clean and sober.”
‘Celebrity Big Brother’ airs every night on Channel 5.