Elle Macpherson Gets Candid About Past Struggles With Alcohol

Elle Macpherson, the iconic Australian supermodel, has opened up about her past struggles with alcohol addiction, specifically with champagne and vodka.

In her memoir, «Elle: Life, Lessons & Learning to Trust Yourself,» she candidly shares how her drinking habits escalated after the birth of her sons, leading to daily consumption and frequent blackouts. She also revealed that she often drank alone after putting her children to bed, and in moments of desperation, and even resorted to drinking vodka from a broken bottle.

Realizing the impact her addiction had on her life, Elle Macpherson sought help through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and by entering a rehab facility in Arizona.

The 60-year-old Australian supermodel revealed how her life appeared flawless to the outside world, while only a few were aware of the deep personal struggles she was facing behind the scenes.

“My life looked amazing to everybody. On the outside, I was doing a beautiful job, but deep down inside, I was really struggling,” she wrote, per Page Six.

In 2003, Macpherson welcomed her son Cy with her then-partner, French financier Arpad “Arki” Busson. It was during this time that her struggles began to intensify. The couple also share an older son, Flynn, born in 1998.

Following the birth of her son Cy, Elle Macpherson received a celebratory bottle of champagne. Although her naturopaths cautioned her against drinking it, explaining that her hormones would still be “all over the place,” she later confessed, “All I could think about was that bottle of champagne in the ice bucket” as she held her newborn son.

Macpherson admitted to struggling with anxiety during a challenging period marked by her son Flynn’s frequent hospital visits and her partner Arki’s constant traveling. To cope, she turned to alcohol.

“In the evenings, after I put him to bed, I’d find myself relaxing with a vodka,” she wrote in her memoir, explaining that she had this realization during an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.

She later described herself as being caught in a “horrible downward spiral” as she struggled to juggle her relationship, motherhood, and career.

“I would sit down by myself and have shots of vodka and then I’d write to-do lists and letters to my family,” she wrote.“I would do the housework, listen to music until around 11 p.m., then go to bed and pass out.»

«I would get up in the morning, run six miles and have a coffee for breakfast,” she also revealed. “I would stick my fingers down my throat and make sure I vomited three times before I went to sleep. It was always three times.”

Macpherson hit her breaking point when she attempted to open a bottle of vodka and accidentally shattered the glass top. “I hurriedly poured myself a shot that could have been littered with shards of glass. And I drank it,” she said. “I remember thinking, I love this feeling. I’d missed it, sooooo much.”

Realizing the impact her addiction had on her life, Macpherson sought help through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and by entering a rehab facility in Arizona. Despite facing personal challenges, including a painful breakup and custody battles, she successfully achieved sobriety and has remained sober for over 20 years.

She credits her recovery to addressing the deeper issues fueling her addiction.

In addition to her struggles with alcohol, the «Batman & Robin» actress discusses overcoming bulimia and her decision to take a holistic approach to her health after a breast cancer diagnosis. 

“It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways,” she told Australian Women’s Weekly in September.

Through her story, she hopes to inspire others to prioritize wellness and self-care. «As I’ve matured, what I’ve realized is that it doesn’t really matter what I look like, the most important thing is, ‘How do I feel?’ [It’s] when I started sleeping more and relaxing a little more in my life and looking after my nutrition,» Macpherson said in 2015 about welness. «Because good nutrition can change everything. I hadn’t really understood my body was deprived from good nutrition.”

«Elle: Lessons & Learning to Trust Yourself» is out now.

For those dealing with similar challenges, help is available. Reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.