Michelle Heaton reveals addiction toll: ‘Alcohol came before my family’

Michelle Heaton has revealed the devastating toll addiction took on her life, admitting alcohol once came before her husband and children during her darkest years.

The former Liberty X singer broke down in tears while reflecting on her battle with alcohol and drug addiction, admitting there were moments when she no longer wanted to wake up.

Speaking on Paul C Brunson’s We Need to Talk podcast, the 46-year-old said addiction gradually took over her life, leaving her unable to stop drinking even when she desperately wanted to.

“Alcohol stripped me away from all of that, it stripped me of the ability to care,” Heaton said.

“In that moment I loved the alcohol more [than my family], that’s the best way of putting it.”

Heaton, who shares children Faith and Aaron with husband Hugh Hanley, said her struggles began with binge eating before alcohol dependency took hold during her Liberty X years and later escalated into cocaine use.

She said things worsened after undergoing a mastectomy in 2012, describing the experience as one that left her feeling as though she was “losing my identity”.

Recalling the lowest point of her addiction, Heaton admitted there were times she no longer wanted to wake up and felt unable to escape.

The singer also revealed husband Hugh watched helplessly as her health deteriorated, while Katie Price later helped her take the first steps towards sobriety by encouraging her to seek rehab.

Now sober since 2021, Heaton recently marked five years of sobriety and continues to speak openly about addiction and recovery.