The shock booze pics that made celebrities quit drink for good & now they look incredible thanks to their ‘sober glow’

BEING in the public eye may seem glamorous – but behind the glitzy parties and champagne on tap, a number of celebrities have revealed the dark toll alcohol has had on their lives. Many have not only spoken about the negative effects booze has had on their lives – but have bravely shared candid photos of them during their low points with drink. EastEnders’ Charlie Brooks shares drastic pics after going sober saying booze left her with ‘regret, shame and fear’ Credit: Instagram / charlie_brooks_xx Now, six years sober, Charlie has a ‘sober glow’ and hailed giving up booze as the ‘best thing she’s done’ Credit: Getty They are joining an increasing number of people who’ve turned their back on alcohol, with one in five adult Brits now being ‘teetotal.’ Meanwhile, while 63 per cent of UK adults drink at least once a month, 90 per cent of drinkers are trying to moderate their drinking in some way, according to Bupa. Next month, many Brits will take on Sober October, and avoid alcoholic drinks for 31 days – with some opting to take on Dry January next too. We all know that booze is harmful to the body, with chronic consumption risking liver damage or failure, heart disease, stroke, gastrointestinal problems, and cancer. But alcohol can have a big effect on how we look, too. EastEnders’ star Charlie Brooks recently shared snaps showing a drastic difference in her appearance since ditching booze. The soap actress, 45, has put her party days behind her as she acknowledged six years away from alcohol, declaring to fans that she’s got the ‘sober glow’. Despite announcing her former love of drink, Charlie said she ditched the booze for good after a loop of ‘regret, shame and fear’ plagued her for years – and described it as the “best thing I’ve ever done”. In the caption, she wrote: “Fags and booze. Oh my god. I used to LOVE them. My skin, body and mind… did not.” And she’s not the only celeb to go sober and look more glowing than ever… Millie Mackintosh Millie Mackintosh has put her Made in Chelsea party days behind her and gone ‘teetotal’ Credit: instagram/milliemackintosh Millie shared a snap from her drinking days and said she ‘barely recognises’ the person she was when drinking Credit: instagram/milliemackintosh Millie Mackintosh has given a brave insight into the real reason she’s gone sober – admitting she was struck by suicidal thoughts while hungover. The Made In Chelsea alum, 37, who is now a mum of two, was frank in addressing her booze battles and starkly admitted she wanted to “jump out of a window” after one alcohol-fuelled evening. Millie, who previously revealed she would “fight strangers” while drunk and woke up with someone “on top” of her during a terrifying drunk ordeal, gave her no-frills take on her experience on the Made By Mummas podcast. Millie, who is married to former MIC co-star Hugo Taylor, has been sober since 2022 and her book Bad Drunk, published this year, details her experience of drinking, from her teens through her twenties and her decision to quit. On Instagram, she recently shared: “Looking back ten years, I barely recognise the person I used to be – drinking heavily, always hungover, and completely lost. “I was stuck in a cycle of self-medicating, not realising that the change I so badly needed was waiting for me on the other side of discomfort.” Michelle Heaton Michelle Heaton shared a very intimate picture of herself suffering from addiction Credit: instagram Liberty X star Michelle has encouraged fans that you ‘can recover from addiction with alcohol, and you can ‘live a life without fear’ Credit: Getty Pop star Michelle Heaton has revealed her love of booze led to her taking vodka to the cinema, wine to the park, and her children to pubs for their days out. The Liberty X star, whose life was turned around after spending 28 days in rehab four years ago, has been candid about her recovery from drink and drug addiction. Opening up to Jessica Ennis-Hill for an episode of the athlete’s Gold Minds podcast, Michelle, 47, revealed how she would hide her alcoholism from her children with vodka in bottles of water. She said: “I would get drink delivered to the house, I would hide vodka in water bottles and I would be really sneaky. “We’re very manipulative, addicts. We manipulate to try and only show you what you need to see. “I was openly drinking, but only drinking wine and I would have that bottle of vodka upstairs hidden in the attic.” Michelle shared a snap for World Mental Health Day that showed her during her addiction, and said: “Unfortunately, I have hundreds of photos like this. Never shown, never seen, during a long battle with addictions & trauma. “There is a solution, you can recover. It is possible to live a life without fear and misery .. I promise.” Ulrika Jonsson Ulrika Jonsson shared this photo to celebrate being sober for six months, in December last year Credit: instagram/ulrikajonssonofficial She also shared a snap from her drinking days and said that having the ‘gift of desperation’ helped her reach out for help Credit: instagram/ulrikajonssonofficial Model Ulrika Jonsson has marked one year since going sober and previously told how she would “black out and not recall the night” while drinking. The mum-of-four, 59, confessed she made the decision to quit booze after a frank conversation with a friend, saying: “One Saturday morning my best friend, who I love and cherish, called me and basically told me we had spoken the night before and she hadn’t understood a word I had said. “She told me I needed help. I knew it came from a place of love. “Instead, I sobbed like a child who desperately needed someone to hold her. I was full of despair.” Writing for The Sun, Ulrika bravely shared: “The day I surrendered and accepted I had a problem with alcohol, I knew I couldn’t just give it up for a while. “I knew I couldn’t just cut back in the hope that I’d be cured, because alcoholism is a disease for which there is no cure. There is a solution, but there is no fix.” Denise Welch Loose Women star Denise Welch has also been candid about the positive effects of losing behind booze for good Credit: instagram/denise_welch Denise Welch has celebrated over 13 years of sobriety, and the difference between her before and after snaps are mind blowing. The actress and Loose Women presenter, 68, battled depression and struggled to cope with the pressure of a starring role as Natalie Barnes on Coronation Street, she became reliant on cocaine and alcohol. Denise admitted there were times she should never have gone on screen after turning up to work without any sleep following all-night drink and drug sessions. To mark Alcohol Awareness Week in 2020, Denise accompanied a post with an honest caption where she revealed how drinking alcohol affected her both mentally and physically. She added that going sober was the thing she was “most proud about”, apart from her kids, Matty, 37, and Louis, 25. Spencer Matthews Former MIC lothario Spencer Matthews has swapped drinking for exercise and achieved an impressive 30 marathons in 30 days last year Credit: instagram/spencermatthews He was one of the most famous Made In Chelsea revellers, but Spencer Matthews quit drinking to save his marriage to Irish model Vogue Williams, 40. In a 2024 interview with The Sun on Sunday, Spencer, 38 – dad to Theodore, Gigi, and Otto – described his previous relationship with alcohol as ‘out of control’, after his daily intake reached five to ten pints of beer and half a ­bottle of whisky. But since giving it up in 2018, he’s been able to ‘push his boundaries‘ – and completed 30 marathons in 30 days in August last year. Spencer, the brother-in-law of the Princess of Wales’s sister Pippa Middleton, said: “I look back at the time wasted where I could have been turning myself into something else. “There have been times in my life when I’ve really felt like an outsider with my own family, because of my behaviour and ­general attitude. “I had such a bad relationship with alcohol. I abused alcohol all the way up till my late twenties.” Jessica Simpson Jessica Simpson has been sober for eight years and said she didn’t ‘love’ or ‘respect’ herself when drinking Credit: Instagram/jessicasimpson Sharing a snap from her former party days, she said alcohol ‘silenced’ her ‘intuition’ and ‘blocked’ her dreams Credit: Instagram Singer and former party girl Jessica Simpson has been sober for eight years, and candidly shared a snap from one of her darkest moments. The 46-year-old wrote over the photo, which depicted her in a two-piece pink sweatsuit with little to no make-up: “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognisable version of myself. I had so much self discovery to unlock and explore. “I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity. “Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted.” The singer said there is a stigma around “alcoholism”, but added: “The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power.” The stunning star – who shares Maxwell, 14, Ace, 13, and Birdie, seven, with estranged husband Eric Johnson – revealed the impact sobriety has had on her life. Speaking to E News, the With You singer said: “Alcohol silenced my intuition, blocked my dreams and chased my circulating fears of complacency. “Today I am clear. Today I am driven by faith. Both fear and faith are something that we feel and may not see, I’m so happy I chose faith over fear.” What to do if you think are an alcoholic IF you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, the most important thing is to recognise the problem and seek support – You don’t have to face it alone. Seek Professional Help GP or Doctor – A medical professional can assess your situation and provide advice on treatment options. Therapists or Counsellors – Talking to an addiction specialist can help address underlying causes and develop coping strategies. Rehab or Detox Programmes – If physical dependence is severe, medically supervised detox may be necessary. Consider Support Groups Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – A well-known 12-step programme that provides peer support. SMART Recovery – A science-based alternative to AA, focusing on self-empowerment. Local Support Groups – Many communities have groups tailored to different needs.