Kit Harington opens up about effects of alcoholism and depression in personal life

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington recently opened up about some personal issues he had, before he became a father. The actor, who is set to make his MCU debut with The Eternals, spoke about how he went through problems due to alcoholism.

Kit Harington will next be seen in an episode of the new season of Modern Love, slated to premiere on Amazon Prime on August 13. The actor will also make his MCU debut as the Black Knight in The Eternals, which will be directed by Academy Award-winner Chloe Zhao. Here's what the actor said -

Kit Harington talks about issues with alcoholism 

Kit Harington recently revealed that he went through some tough times after Game of Thrones ended in 2019. In an interaction with The Sunday Times, the actor opened up about his problems and how he overcame them, just in time to be a father with his wife and fellow Game of Thrones actor, Rose Leslie. While speaking about his issues with alcohol, he said: 

You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person. And you feel that there's no way out, that's just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, 'No, I can change.' One of my favourite things I learnt recently is that the expression 'a leopard doesn't change its spots' is completely false: that a leopard actually does change its spots. I just think that's the most beautiful thing. It really helped. That was something I kind of clung to; the idea that I could make this huge fundamental change in who I was and how I went about my life.

Harington previously checked into the Privé-Swiss retreat in Connecticut in 2019, according to PeopleMagazine. The actor's rep told the outlet that he had decided to take his "break" as "an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat," admitting that he had to "work on some personal issues." In the aforementioned interaction, Harington also spoke about how he experienced suicidal thoughts, saying: 

Yes of course. I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things," he explained, adding that he hoped being open about it would "maybe help someone, somewhere. But I definitely don't want to be seen as a martyr or special. I've been through something, it's my stuff. If it helps someone, that's good.

Kit Harington on how his troubles with alcohol affected his marriage

In the same interaction, Kit Harington also discussed how his issues with alcohol did indeed take a toll on his marriage with Rose Leslie, whom he married in June 2018. The actor exclaimed how a problem like this, causes unimaginable stresses to "those around you." He also admittedly said, "I will say about my addictions that I kept them very, very quiet and I was incredibly secretive and incredibly locked up with them. So they came as quite a surprise to the people around me. Which is quite often the case, I guess." 

Harington also spoke about his time as a father and mentioned how the first three months were not what he signed up for. He said: 

There's something about having a child that is the most physically draining thing. My hat goes off to any single parent. Any single parent, you're a f---ing genius. I don't know how you do it. Because it's more exhausting than everything I did on Thrones.

However, The former Game of Thrones star ended the conversation on a positive note saying, "I have a child and my relationship is brilliant … I'm a very, very happy, content, sober man."

IMAGE - GAME OF THRONES INSTA