‘It’s very difficult to just stop’

Jason Donovan made the shock admission on Saturday that he still struggles with limiting his alcohol intake, years after his well publicised battle with substance abuse.

The former Neighbours star, 55, told The Guardian that he has to make a conscious effort not to drink too much and struggles to stop at just one glass. 

‘Overdrinking. I don’t drink all the time, but I do love a glass of wine, and it’s very difficult to just stop at one or two,’ he began.

‘If I overdrink, I don’t feel good about myself.’

Jason, who starred as Scott Robinson on Neighbours from 1986 – 1989, had a well-documented struggle with substance abuse in the mid ’90s, including cocaine addiction. 

He documented his wild partying days in his book Between The Lines: My Story Uncut and admitted his drug dealer was worried by his three-gram-a-day habit. 

When asked if he would change anything about his past, Jason responded with: ‘My relationship with drugs. In the 1990s I was so selfish, I wouldn’t really have noticed what was going on.’

Fortunately, Jason managed to kick his past addictions and re-establish himself as a successful stage and screen actor in the early 2000s. 

Last year, the Australian actor revealed how he keeps fit and in control and admitted he likes to treat himself with the occasional beauty or wellness treatment.

In terms of diet, to start the day he enjoys a drink of hot lemon before having pasta or sushi for lunch and then a small evening meal of tacos with guacamole.

He told The Times: ‘I’m up at 7am and always start my day with hot water and lemon. In the mornings I only eat fruit so I don’t feel too heavy, as I’m a big fitness person and like to go to the gym early.

‘I like to get a massage twice a week and love a foot massage and to get my nails done. 

‘For lunch I have sushi or pasta. I’m a better person when I don’t drink alcohol. I sleep better, am happier, less anxious and more in control.’ Jason lives in England with his wife Angela Malloch, who he has three children with: Jemma, 23, Zac, 21, and Molly, 11.