Michelle McManus went sober after blackouts and embarrassing behaviour
03.11.2023 - 18:33
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Michelle McManus has opened up about her sober journey after she quit drinking four years ago.
The Pop Idol winner has revealed she suffered blackout and embarrassed herself in public when she was under the influence, reports Glasgow Live. The singer - who won the second series of the popular talent show in 2003 - gave up drinking after she fell pregnant with her first child.
The 43-year-old - who is now a presenter on BBC Radio Scotland - admitted she had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol since her early 20s.
The mum of two said she used alcohol as a way to cope with low self-confidence but said by her mid-30s she became worried about her safety after she couldn't recall getting home from night outs.
Speaking on the Why Aren't You Drinking podcast, the Glasgow-born star said: "I stopped drinking in 2019 on the day I got my positive pregnancy test and it was a blessing for so many reasons.
"Falling pregnant helped me make the massive decision to give up alcohol which I had been too scared to make. I didn't really know who I was without alcohol, not because I felt really that I was dependent on it, but it had been such a huge part of my life and my persona.
"It was a form of escapism when I maybe wasn't reading such nice things about me or I didn't feel as confident as I do now. Alcohol was a way for me to go 'Goodbye world'.
"For a long time I never got very drunk and I was one of those ones who could drink everyone under the table. Then something happened in my mid-thirties where after a couple of drinks it was like I had dived off a cliff.
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"I was getting so drunk, I couldn't remember getting home and I