EXCLUSIVE: The star of stage and display lately grew to become a grandfather.
Darren Day has his life again on monitor after a interval of battle (Picture: Channel 5)
It’s truthful to say Darren Day has had his justifiable share of ups and downs. His struggles with dependancy have been nicely documented, as have his falls from grace, which have usually overshadowed a glittering profession – which at one level noticed him dominate Saturday evening TV whereas additionally having fun with chart success and acclaimed stage performances. When he logs on to Zoom to talk solely to Specific.co.uk, he appears match and wholesome. He’s sporting a beard for his newest function and it’s apparent he’s in an excellent place earlier than he even begins chatting. “I am in rehearsals for an unimaginable present enjoying a dream function with probably the most unimaginable forged. I’ve acquired three good kids. I’ve acquired an exquisite grandson. I’ve acquired a beautiful associate. I’ve acquired some good mates and I am fortunate,” he confirms.
Regardless of this he’s nonetheless extremely self deprecating and arduous on himself, acknowledging his previous foibles with full candour. Reflecting on this when it’s identified he says: “That is the addict factor although. We at all times beat ourselves up about issues, and now I am straight and sober and that must be crucial factor in my life, the sobriety. That must be put on the high of every thing,” he says earnestly. “Typically folks would possibly say, ‘what forward of your kids,’ and sure and it must be. As a result of in any other case if I am not sober I am not going to be an excellent dad.”
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When it’s identified his kids in all probability would not need to be round him both he agrees. “Precisely that. If I am not sober, I am not going to carry out. With out being too woo woo about it, I get up within the mornings and I am grateful for being right here and once I say right here, I imply, I am grateful for nonetheless being alive. As a result of I pushed it. I used to be strolling on very skinny ice for my well being.
“However I am additionally grateful for the very fact folks make use of me nonetheless and folks appear to nonetheless need to come and see me and I can nonetheless put a number of bums on seats. I really feel actually fortunate it won’t have ended like that. The ending might have been, for anybody near me, definitely for my household and my family members, it might have been a very totally different,” he contemplates.
The star is at present sober for round seven years following a seven day relapse throughout the pandemic when he barricaded himself in his rest room and went on a cocaine binge. He credit buddy Robbie Williams with saving his life and getting him to rehab. He realises how lucky he’s and pays it ahead: “I take sobriety extremely severely and I try to assist different folks in the identical approach as Robbie helped me,” he says.
Not like many addicts a few of Darren’s worst moments have been performed out in public – most famously on the very first collection of I am A Superstar…Get Me Out Of Right here in 2002 when he went chilly turkey stay on air. He admits he struggles to look at it again.
“I used to be a drug addict. Once I acquired onto the aircraft to Australia I used to be smashed, and then you definately do three days within the unimaginable resort, then you definately get into the jungle. So by the day I drop into the jungle, I’m on day 4 of no booze and medicines for the primary time in years. Typically my children will ship me little clips that they discover from it and I cringe watching it. I simply need the bottom to open up and swallow me. I can’t stand watching any of that.” Fortunately these days are behind him. “I am not the man that used to get written about,” he insists reflecting on the much less savoury headlines which outlined him within the Nineteen Nineties.
He’s now getting set to play legendary file producer Sam Phillips within the musical Million Greenback Quartet. The present tells the story of a legendary evening in music when icons Johnny Money, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley have been introduced collectively by pure likelihood for a jam session.
It is a dream function for the star, who is a large fan of Elvis. “I’ve cherished Elvis my entire life. For my fiftieth birthday, one of many magazines took me to Memphis and I went to Graceland and I sat at Sam Phillips desk in Solar Data and there is a form of a mark on the ground the place they did the million greenback quartet. So I used to be there by no means imagining I might ever get to be part of this.
“The forged are unimaginable. There’s extra stress on the 4 boys enjoying Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Money and Jerry Lewi as a result of except you’re an ardent fan of these days, folks do not actually know what Sam Phillips regarded like or gave the impression of. So, there’s much less stress on me,” he laughed.
Million Greenback Quartet runs within the Barn Theatre Cirencester from Monday June 15 till Saturday August 22 with tickets out there from the venues web site.
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