Ulrika Jonsson shares photo of herself drunk with raw statement to mark major sobriety milestone

Ulrika Jonsson came clean about her secret battle with alcohol several months ago, which had nearly overtaken her life prior to her decision to become sober.

The Swedish-British television star, 57, confessed there were moments when she drank herself into oblivion. Her companions became worried during attempts at conversation where Jonsson, heavily intoxicated, made no sense and would wake up with no memory of the night before.

At that time, Ulrika admitted using drink as a crutch to handle her anxiety but now pronounces her lifestyle vastly improved since ditching alcohol. Celebrating over half a year of sobriety, she's joyously cited remarkable health gains, the Mirror reports.

Jonsson, who originally shot to fame presenting the weather in the late '80s, recognised that she had to truly want to help herself in order to change despite friends' earlier interventions suggesting she might have an issue. By sharing her story, she aims to extend a hand to others in similar situations.

Opening up further about her struggles, Ulrika has acknowledged that she 'was broken' at the start of this year. The presenter bravely posted an image of her intoxicated self, emphasising the insidious impacts of alcohol on behaviour and identity.

With the picture, she included a revealing caption: "Today I am 6 months sober. On the 5th June 2024, I had the gift of desperation and reached out for help. I no longer recognised myself and I surrendered."

Ulrika said: "Many people have asked me how I've done it and all I can say is that no woman is an island - I have not done this alone. The willingness to give up alcohol came from me, yes, but without support of friends, family and my new tribe, I would not have made it this far.

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"This is a journey and not a destination. It's never over. It's a process in progress. But once you resolve to make changes, beautiful things happen."

It's been hard and I'm sure it will continue to be but I am learning serenity and have gained an inner peace I've never, ever had. The turmoil inside me is dissipating and I'm learning to accept the things I cannot change and I'm finding the courage to change the things I can."

Ulrika went on to reveal that the second photo in the post was of her during a 'drunk moment'. Looking back on it, she says she now feels 'ashamed'.

The TV presenter wrote: "Pic. 2: is of me in the midst of the madness. Another drunk moment. At first I couldn't bear to look back at pictures of myself under the influence of alcohol. The cloak of shame was too heavy a burden.

"But now I look at those images and feel pity and sympathy for that girl - she desperately needed to be scooped up; held tightly and helped. Not ashamed or judged. She was quite, quite broken and had no idea there was another way."

"There is so much more to say - and I will say it in time. I'm still very much at the beginning of my journey but my life has changed in a beautiful way. It's a spiritual thing. One day at a time.

Thank you to all those who have supported me - my 4 Ungrateful's; my Bestie and close friends. And, of course, my new tribe of friends who are helping to keep me upright; showing me the way without judgment."

Ulrika previously explained to The Sun: "Drink quelled my anxiety. It transported me to another place where I felt at peace - where the problems of the world couldn't reach me and, most importantly, where I felt numb. I drank to kill my feelings of anxiety and my fears of everything."

"I was a highly functioning binge-drinker. I never woke up dishevelled in a pool of sick. But the number of times I would black out and not recall the night before when I had been drinking alone, were increasing."

The star went on to reveal a friend bluntly confronted her and told her she had a problem. The friend rang her one weekend and told her that they had spoken over the phone the night before, but the former Gladiators host had been so drunk she had been nonsensical.

The telly favourite was prompted by a pal to get help, yet it was the support from another mate, who had been living sober for five years, that gave her the nudge she needed to ditch the drink.

Ulrika said: "I reached out to a friend who hasn't had a drink for five years and said, 'I can't do this any more'. I had the gift of desperation. And that was my first sober day. I haven't touched a drink since that day and I haven't wanted to."

With more than 600,000 adults in Britain grappling with alcohol dependence, anger was sparked a few months back when it emerged that government officials might enforce earlier closing times at pubs and bars in a bid to combat excessive drinking.

The proposal has come under fire from critics who worry such restrictions could push the country towards an overbearing 'nanny state'.

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