'I'M GOING BACK TO BEING STUPIDʻ

Lou Sanders has opened up on the dark times in her life and her battle with the bottle, but says her new stand-up show will be a joyous affair

Stand-up comedian Lou Sanders’ unique brand of silliness has seen her soar to new heights, landing her a place on Dancing On Ice and a role on Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable.

But as she prepares for her latest stand-up tour, she also remembers darker times in her life – her battle with alcoholism and how finding sobriety saved her career.

Lou, who wrote about her journey in her memoir What’s That Lady Doing? False Starts And Happy Endings, developed a heavy drinking habit in her teens. She continued to binge drink for decades until a stand-up gig in 2015 took a scary turn.

“I threw an empty bottle of wine at the audience and called Ed Gamble some horrible stuff that is so far from the truth. He’s the nicest, nicest guy ever,” she remembers.

“And then I pulled Arthur Smith’s trousers down. When I threw that bottle, I could have seriously damaged someone.

“The last [gig where I drank] was a snowboarding trip and I was with loads of people that love a drink, yet I was the biggest problem. I got so drunk and started heckling the other acts – the worst thing you could do ever.”

She adds, “I don’t understand how that’s even in me to do that when I’m drunk. So then I did stop drinking because I thought, ‘I can’t have a career and be an alcoholic.’ Some people manage, but it’s increasingly going out of fashion.”

Now she is ready to put the past behind her as she focuses on the joy in life.