'I've been through a lot but I'm a strong woman'

As Michelle Heaton is put through her paces on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, she opens up on her toughest challenge in life - battling her former alcohol addiction

- KENZI DEVINE

Michelle Heaton has turned her life around quite spectacularly since she quit boozing two and a half years ago.

The former Liberty X singer, who is mum to Faith, 11, and nine-year-old Aaron, hit rock bottom in 2021 when she entered a rehab facility due to her alcohol addiction.

But since then she’s managed to stay sober and, despite recently battling the elements – and sharing a bedroom with former health secretary Matt Hancock – on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, she is now living a “happy, joyous” life.

This month, as thousands take part in Sober October – an initiative that encourages people to give up alcohol and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support – she is sharing her experiences of recovery to help others who are struggling.

Back in April, Michelle, 44, celebrated two years of sobriety, telling fans she was finally free from “the pain and terror of addiction”.

Here, in an exclusive interview with new, the star opens up on her road to recovery and her “one of a kind” husband Hugh Hanley, 44, and offers advice to women struggling with early menopause…

Hi, Michelle. How does it feel to be marking two and a half years of sobriety? 

I’m feeling amazing. I’m so free now and it’s a place I dreamed of getting to. I can’t tell you the amount of messages I get from people who share their stories of addiction with me. I just want to help all of them. 

You’ve documented your recovery on social media. What made you want to be so open about it?