Nadia Sawalha's husband opens up about alcohol issues and drink-driving arrest on Loose Women

31 January 2020, 11:14

Mark Adderley has bravely opened up about his issues with alcohol and depression.

Nadia Sawalha's husband Mark Adderley has opened up about his issues with alcohol and depression during an appearance on Loose Women yesterday.

Mark appeared as a special guest to mark the daytime show's new male mental health campaign Stand By Your Men, which is part of the show's Lighten the Load initiative.

Mark revealed that he had to call Nadia from a jail cell after his arrest. Picture: Shutterstock

He shockingly revealed that he once had to call his wife from his jail cell after being arrested for drink-driving during his battle with booze.

Opening up about her husband's decision to speak out on the show, Nadia said: "Even though this is like going to the dentist for Mark, he was really keen to do it because our Lighten the Load campaign, we’re all so enormously proud of it and the fact we’re continuing with this.

"And it’s such a vital thing to talk about because we are still so far back in being able to really allow men, I think, to talk about their own struggles. We’ve all got a kind of fear about it."

Mark then added: 'I think talking about it is the only way you can normalise it, sort of make it part of everyday conversation.

Mark bravely opened up about his depression diagnosis. Picture: Shutterstock

"When I car crashed my life through addiction, a number of people didn’t realise I had such a problem.

"Half of the stress with mental health is hiding it, concealing it, and concealing it is where I think addition comes in, because people conceal it to drink, through drugs, through all sorts of compulsive behaviour.

"So yeah... when we talk about it, it is sort of like sharing and hopefully someone somewhere finds something that connects with them."

He also discussed his depression diagnosis, saying: 'The diagnosis was about four years ago. And it’s funny because when you live a life of excess… but at the same time I was functioning in my world... friends didn’t realise that I was spiralling out of control in my private life and so they were surprised.

"There were stages - I was done for drink driving. When you phone your wife from a cell, you’re not thinking about depression, you’re thinking about behaviour - 'My behaviour’s wrong' and then as you move through life you move away from those distractions and those co-dependencies and then suddenly you’re left with yourself and you think, 'Hang on, I don’t feel any better.'

Nadia said they were almost 'relieved' when he got the diagnosis. Picture: Shutterstock

"You feel as vulnerable, as raw, as depressed and as stressed and anxious."

Nadia then added: "We’ve learnt since that so many people that drink or use stuff actually had depression before and that’s how they medicated. When Mark got the diagnosis, we were almost relieved."