Elle Macpherson speaks candidly about her past alcohol addiction.
In his new book Life, lessons and learning to believe in yourself, released on Tuesday, November 19, the 60-year-old Australian supermodel detailed how her life looked perfect on the outside, and how very few people knew about her inner struggles.
“My life seemed amazing to everyone. On the outside, I was doing a wonderful job, but deep down, I was really struggling,” she wrote, on Page Six.
In 2003, Macpherson gave birth to a son, Cy, with her then-partner, French financier Arpad “Arki” Busson. They also have a son together, Flynn, whom they had in 1998.
After Cy was born, Macpherson was given a bottle of champagne. Her naturopaths advised her not to enjoy the fizzy drink soon after giving birth as her hormones would “be all over the place”. Despite the warning, she said: “All I could think about was a bottle of champagne in a bowl of ice” as she held her newborn in her arms.
Elle Macpherson at the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2024 Womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week on September 26, 2023 in Paris, France.
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Elle MacPherson stunned on her first runway in 14 years
Macpherson felt anxious about Flynn’s frequent hospital visits and Arki’s frequent trips.
“At night, after I put him to bed, I would relax with vodka,” she wrote, detailing the discovery she made at an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting.
Macpherson considered going to rehab after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney when she was due to attend the closing ceremony, but “drank enough champagne or vodka to calm my nerves that it disoriented me”.
Arki also dissuaded Macpherson from going to rehab, she writes. “I think he was afraid. He didn’t want me to be away from him and I think he was also afraid of change.”
As Macpherson says, she was in a “terrible downward spiral” trying to balance her relationship, motherhood and work.
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Elle Macpherson at the AO Inspirational Series Luncheon to celebrate Women’s Semi-Final Day at the Australian Open on January 25, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.
James D. Morgan/Getty
During the AA meeting, Macpherson said she passed out several times because of the constant drinking at home after putting her children to sleep.
“I would sit alone and drink vodka, then write to-do lists and letters to my family,” she wrote. “I would do housework, listen to music until about 11pm, then go to bed and pass out. I would get up in the morning, run six miles and drink coffee for breakfast,” he writes about AA’s confession and adds. “I would stick my fingers down my throat and make sure I threw up three times before falling asleep. It was always three times.”
Macpherson reached her breaking point when she tried to open a bottle of vodka and broke the glass top. “I hastily poured myself a glass that could have been strewn with shards of glass. And I drank it,” she later recalled to AA. “I remember thinking, I love this feeling. I missed him, sooo much.” In addition to discussing her relationship with alcohol, Macpherson also detailed her breast cancer diagnosis and her decision to forego chemotherapy for breast cancer.
“Every day I actively, intentionally nurture my good health and take care of myself,” he writes in his book. “Cancer is no longer an option for me. Like drinking isn’t the answer for me.”
Elle Macpherson defends the decision to refuse chemotherapy, a holistic approach to breast cancer diagnosis
Elle: Lessons and learning to believe in yourself is now available for purchase.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Source: HIS Education