Ross Kemp opens up on alcohol struggle as BBC EastEnders star admits ‘I was heavily reliant’
Ross Kemp has opened up about his private struggle with alcohol, admitting he became dependent on drinking as a coping mechanism.
Speaking on the Joe Marler Will See You Now podcast, the 62-year-old actor acknowledged that booze had been his primary means of unwinding for years.
“I think I was heavily reliant on it for a period of time – self-medicating, if you will,” the EastEnders favourite told Mr Marler.
The star, best known for portraying Walford tough guy Grant Mitchell since 1990, said the dependency has since lifted but he continues to enjoy a drink.
Ross Kemp has opened up about his private struggle with alcohol, admitting he became dependent on drinking as a coping mechanism
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“That’s something that has disappeared from my life, but I still like it, and of all the alternatives out there, that’s the easiest and more socially accessible,” he explained.
When asked whether he had successfully curbed his consumption without becoming completely teetotal, Mr Kemp responded candidly: “I like to think so, yeah, but who knows?”
Mr Kemp credited becoming a father with fundamentally reshaping his outlook on life.
“I’ve always used alcohol as my main way of relaxing,” he said. “Luckily these days, because of kids, I don’t do it like I used to.”
Ross Kemp in 2000
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The father of four conceded he had been “quite selfish” prior to parenthood, and that having children forced him to reorder his priorities entirely.
He also struck a note of honest self-reflection, adding: “I don’t think anybody should sit here and say just because I limited myself I’m not necessarily relying on it.”
Mr Kemp’s eldest child, Oliver,15, is from his relationship with make-up artist Nicola Coleman. He went on to have three more children — Leo, 11, and eight-year-old twins Ava and Kitty — with Australian lawyer Renee O’Brien, his wife since 2012.
The actor has previously acknowledged behaving “quite badly” in his younger days. Reflecting on the beginning of his romance with Ms Renee, he has spoken about how he “used to go on a bit of a bender with some of the guys” before she “straightened” him out.
Ross Kemp admitted he wished he had embarked on fatherhood ‘about a decade earlier’
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Mr Kemp has described himself as “very happy” with his family life, saying he “wouldn’t have it any other way.” However, he expressed one regret — wishing he had embarked on fatherhood “about a decade earlier.”
The transformation from his hard-partying past to settled family man mirrors, in some ways, the journey of his on-screen alter ego, though Mr Kemp’s real-life story has had a considerably happier resolution than many of Grant Mitchell’s turbulent Walford storylines.
Beyond his acting career, Mr Kemp has explored the themes of alcohol and addiction through his documentary work.
In 2016, an episode of Ross Kemp’s Britain examined the nation’s relationship with drinking, while his Extreme World series featured a Glasgow man who had lost multiple toes as a consequence of alcoholism.
“That was just shocking,” Kemp remarked at the time. “A lot of us could end up in such a situation for making mistakes.”
He also fronted the 2020 ITV programme Ross Kemp: Living With Painkiller Addiction, which investigated widespread dependency on prescription opioids across Britain.
The BAFTA-winning documentary maker is set to appear in the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors this autumn.
He made his return to Albert Square for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary in February 2025 and has since reprised Grant Mitchell again, with the character featuring in Nigel Bates’ dementia storyline.
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