Nadia Sawalha has revealed she is planning a ‘sober’ wedding vow renewal in Cornwall.
The Loose Women star, 55 – who married Mark Adderley in 2002 – had arranged to renew her vows in a romantic ceremony in Greece this year before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
The happy couple will now have a ceremony in the UK to celebrate their love and mark her husband’s 16 years of sobriety.
I do… again: Nadia Sawalha has revealed she is planning a ‘sober’ wedding vow renewal in Cornwall (above with husband Mark Adderley in 2018)
Mark has previously spoken openly about his battle with alcohol addiction, and was caught drink-driving in 2003, leading to a 28 month driving ban and a stint in the Priory.
Nadia told The Mirror: ‘What we thought we might be able to do is go to Greece and do it in a nice villa on the beach. But I think what we’re going to do now is do it in one of our favourite places on earth and that is Cornwall.
‘My husband has been 16 years sober, which at weddings can be very, very tough sometimes. So what I want to do is, I want to have a tee-total wedding. I don’t want to drink anything.’
Nadia – who shares daughters Kiki, 12, and Maddy, 17, with Mark – had asked him to to remarry her during a podcast shortly after Valentine’s Day this year, because their original wedding was planned by her mum and sister Dina whilst she was pregnant.
Double celebration: The couple – who wed in 2002- want to celebrate their love and 16 years of sobriety for Mark
She previously said: ‘We actually were really busy and we handed over completely to my mum and my sister Dina, who were amazing and gave us the most beautiful wedding, which was very traditional in a lot of ways.
‘We have always talked about it and how it would be amazing to do it again and get nice photos. I didn’t like the photos because I was pregnant and all of that stuff. So I thought we could just do something really nice for us, and just decide everything together.’
Back in July 2019, Nadia claimed falling pregnant in 2002 saved her and husband Mark from dying of alcohol abuse.
The star admitted she was ’emotionally and physically unwell’ and struggling to deal with grief when she first met TV producer Mark in 2001, around four years after her first husband Justin Mildwater committed suicide.
She said: ‘My husband has been 16 years sober, which at weddings can be very, very tough sometimes. So what I want to do is, I want to have a tee-total wedding. I don’t want to drink anything’
Speaking on her podcast, How to Stay Married (So Far), Nadia said she was a party animal while Mark was an alcoholic when she fell pregnant with daughter Maddie, now 16, in 2002.
She said: ‘There was a lot of drink and a lot of late nights. Getting together with you and getting pregnant made me go: “Jesus Christ, all that’s gone before has to go”.’
‘I was such a different person since being pregnant with Maddie. And I think that was the beginning of us saving our lives.
‘We probably would have died. We would have gone crazy on the alcohol.’
She added: ‘I had to stop drinking first. I am a heavy drinker but I am not an alcoholic. Mark would drink so much it was worrying.’
Inspiration: Mark has previously spoken openly about his battle with alcohol addiction, and was caught drink-driving in 2003, leading to a 28 month driving ban and a stint in the Priory
Mark, who has previously spoken openly about his battle with alcohol addiction, and is now teetotal, said: ‘Our drinking would have rumbled on to all sorts of destruction in the relationship and I would have died.’
‘Because you had to stop, the fog was removed and you could just see me for what I was.’
Nadia added that Mark’s decision to quit drink had helped her to ‘curtail’ her own alcohol consumption.
She said: ‘We never open a bottle of wine unless we have people around.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.
If you need help with a drinking problem phone Alcoholics Anonymous in the UK on 0800 9177650 or email [email protected].
For you: Back in July 2019, Nadia claimed falling pregnant in 2002 saved her and husband Mark from dying of alcohol abuse (pictured with daughter Maddie in 2004)