Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy has thanked soap bosses for sending him to rehab after he had a mental breakdown on set.
The actor, 58, who played lovable Norman ‘Curly’ Watts, said he’d ‘forever be grateful’ for ITV for stepping in amid the height of his alcohol addition.
Kevin also expressed his desire to return to the cobbles as Curly still ‘has stories to tell.’
‘Grateful’: Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy has thanked soap bosses for sending him to rehab after he had a mental breakdown on set (pictured in 2018)
Speaking candidly about his past, Kevin, who played Curly for 20 years, admitted he feared for his life as he battled addiction.
He told how he would start the day with a drink and booze throughout the day, at times even taking cocaine.
Things got so bad for the soap star that he had a breakdown on set in 1998, forcing show bosses to step in to help.
Following his breakdown, Kevin was temporarily written out of the show and checked into rehab for almost a month.
Getting help: The actor, 58, who played lovable Norman ‘Curly’ Watts, said he’d ‘forever be grateful’ for ITV for stepping in amid the height of his alcohol addition (pictured as Curly in 1995)
Kevin eventually got clean and later returned to the soap. And after 22 years in recovery, the TV personality praised ITV for giving him a second chance.
He told The Mirror: ‘I will for ever be grateful to ITV for sending me to rehab and giving me a chance.’
Meanwhile, Kevin discussed a possible return to Weatherfield, after he quit the soap in 2003 to pursue a career in music and theatre.
Calling on producers to bring back the character, he said: ‘I’d love to come back to Coronation Street; I still have a great relationship with ITV and I think Curly would have some stories to tell.’
Tough time: Speaking candidly about his past, Kevin, who played Curly for 20 years, admitted he feared for his life as he battled addiction
Comeback for Curly? Meanwhile, Kevin discussed a possible return to Weatherfield, after he quit the soap in 2003 to pursue a career in music and theatre
He added: ‘It’s a different soap from when I was in it, but when I joined it was a different show from 10 years before that. It changes for the better I think and deals with brilliant ideas and stories.’
It comes after Kevin discussed his battle with alcoholism last month as he insisted that now is the time for people to get sober.
The actor, who appeared on the cobbles from 1983 to 2003, admitted the phones ‘haven’t stopped ringing’ at his charity Kennedy St, which aims to help people battle their addiction to alcohol.
Speaking on an episode of ITV’s Lorraine, he said: ‘We have a very small charity, Kennedy Street. Over the lockdown, our phones have not stopped ringing. It’s people who are self-medicating at home during the pandemic.
Help: It comes after Kevin discussed his battle with alcoholism last month as he insisted that now is the time for people to get sober
‘Now is the perfect time to get sober. We’ve been doing fundraising and we need some help. I think we may lose more people through mental health problems than with the actual virus, the way things are going.’
‘There’s no judgement. We don’t judge anyone here. We’ve all been through it. That’s the secret of it. There’s a privacy to it. You can get help without having to do much. You are not on your own.’
Kevin previously admitted that he ‘always had a drink near’ as he battled his addiction during his time on the cobbles.
Speaking on a previous episode of Good Morning Britain, he said: ‘I was known as a maintenance drinker where I maintained a certain level of being drunk right through the day and that balance is quite hard to find.
Role: The actor, who appeared on the cobbles from 1983 to 2003, admitted the phones ‘haven’t stopped ringing’ at his charity Kennedy St
‘Sometimes if you went too far, you were visibly drunk but if you didn’t drink enough then you went into involuntary detox which is not very nice at all. So yeah, I always had a drink near or around me somewhere.’
During his chat with host Lorraine Kelly, Kevin reminisced on his wedding storyline in Coronation Street, which saw Curly tie the knot with Raquel Watts (Sarah Lancashire).
He said: ‘There was so much interest in that story. The beauty of that story was that it was beautifully written. There was so much interest that Granada Television decided to keep it secret. It was a totally separate crew and director.
He said: ‘Now is the perfect time to get sober. We’ve been doing fundraising and we need some help. I think we may lose more people through mental health problems than with the virus’
Kevin admitted there was such secrecy around the storyline that he and Sarah were forbidden from telling any of their co-stars about it.
He said: ‘Sarah and I were taken off somewhere. We filmed it in south Manchester and then went back to Granada and carried on with our normal episodes. Sarah and I were doing scenes in the Rovers but we were married but couldn’t let anyone know.
‘I think it was a very special time. 20 years and over 1,000 episodes. Once you’ve been involved in Coronation Street you’re an ambassador for life. People still remember it.’
Honest: Kevin previously admitted that he ‘always had a drink near’ as he battled his addiction during his time on the cobbles (pictured in 2000)