Simon Webbe considered suicide before Strictly Come Dancing.
The member of hit boyband Blue has revealed that he battled with severe depression and alcoholism which led him to contemplate taking his own life, before joining the BBC competition.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I hated who I was and started questioning my whole life. I was really depressed. I never attempted suicide but I thought about it.
"I turned mirrors round so I didn’t have to look at myself. I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be a part of anything,"
The 36-year-old – who has a teenage daughter, Alanah – explained that his downward spiral began when he finished a 173-date reunion tour with his ‘All Rise’ bandmates, and didn’t know what to do next.
He said: "I was sitting at home, curtains closed, drinking a bottle of brandy a day. I didn’t leave the house for weeks on end except to buy bread or milk."
The singer-songwriter – who also released two solo albums, ‘Sanctuary’ in 2005 and ‘Grace’ in 2006 – has now praised the Saturday night dancing contest for boosting his self esteem and helping him tackle his demons.
He continued: "Preparing for Strictly and being on it, I have lost four stone and changed my whole life.
"Now I want to get up in the morning. Learning the dances every week has been like therapy."
Simon Webbe considered suicide before Strictly Come Dancing
