Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor says alcoholism was like ‘being taken over by a parasite’
HOLLYOAKS actress Davinia Taylor has said that alcoholism was like “being taken over by a parasite”.
The 41-year-old star recently celebrated 10 years of sobriety but used to be a staple part of the Primrose Hill party animals, which also included the likes of Sadie Frost and Kate Moss.
Davinia battled both her alcohol addiction and depression, admitting in a new interview that she was originally in “complete denial” that she had a problem.
The star explained: “I thought if everyone just left me alone and I could have a drink, I would be fine.
“There wasn’t an aha moment. It was much tougher than that. The first ten months were harder than the past ten years.”
She continued to Hello! magazine: “Every single cell in my body was telling me to take a drink.
“It was like being taking over by a parasite and the only thing you can do about it was to go cold turkey.
Davinia, who is the daughter of multi-millionaire businessman Alan Murphy, shot to fame in the ’90s playing party girl Jude Cunningham in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
She quit in 1998, but returned in 2016 after an 18-year absence.
Despite drastically overhauling her lifestyle in that time, the mother-of-four revealed that she is still in touch with some of the famous pals she hit the headlines with in the early noughties – including Sadie and Meg Mathews.
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She shared: “Most of that group were ‘going-out’ friendships.
“We have all moved on – although I am still very good friends with Meg and Sadie.”
After beating alcoholism, Davinia understandably admitted that she doesn’t like to go out much any more, and has now committed herself to a healthy organic diet and regular gym sessions.