Game Of Thrones actor Rose Leslie has opened up about her husband and former co-star Kit Harington’s past alcohol abuse issues, saying in a new interview that he’d be “in a very different headspace right now” had he not entered rehab.
“For Kit, being an addict, it’s very important for him to recognise himself as such,” Rose told Harper’s Bazaar UK.
“The AA community has provided such a loving space for him to feel heard, to make sure he’s not alone,” she continued. “But if it weren’t for rehab, he would be in a very different headspace right now.”
Rose and Kit married in 2018. He sought treatment in 2019 following the end of Game Of Thrones, the HBO fantasy drama that propelled both of them to worldwide fame. The couple welcomed their first child, a boy, last year.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times about his treatment, Kit recalled going “through some pretty horrible stuff” after the conclusion of the hit show.
“Things that have happened to me since Thrones ended, and that were happening during Thrones, were of a pretty traumatic nature and they did include alcohol,” he said at the time.
“You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person. And you feel that there’s no way out, that’s just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, ‘No, I can change.’”
Now three years on, Rose told Harper’s Bazaar UK that she was “doing well” but it wasn’t on her to police her husband.
“I’ve learnt a lot about addiction and it’s something Kit is forever going to be aware of, but it’s on him whether he chooses to drink again,” she said.
“No amount of nannying is going to be able to stop him from doing what he decides to do... I don’t choose to put that pressure on myself. The responsibility of his behaviour is on him. It’s not on me to guard him from it.”
Help and support:
- If you need help with a drinking problem, call the Alcoholics Anonymous national helpline for free on 0800 9177 650 or email help@aamail.org.
- For advice on how to reduce drinking, visit Drinkaware’s website or Alcohol Change UK.
- Find alcohol addiction services near you using this NHS tool.