Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
- Kit Harington spoke with the Sunday Times about his struggles with alcohol addiction and depression.
- Reps for the "Game of Thrones" star previously said he went to "wellness retreat."
- "I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things" Harington said.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Ex-"Game of Thrones" star Kit Harington spoke with the Sunday Times the about the events leading up to his sobriety.
"Things that have happened to me since 'Thrones' ended, and that were happening during 'Thrones,' were of a pretty traumatic nature and they did include alcohol," Harington told the Sunday Times in a new profile.
In May 2019, Harington's reps confirmed with Insider that he had checked into "a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues." This is the first time that the actor has publicly revealed that he was in a rehab center to deal with alcohol dependency.
When asked by Sunday Times interviewer Charlotte Edwardes if he felt suicidal during this time, Harington responded: "I will give you an answer to that question: the answer is yes. Yes of course. I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things."
Harington said he hopes opening up about things like his suicidal ideation or experience with addiction will "maybe help someone, somewhere."
HBO and Mike Marsland/Wireimage
"You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person," Harington continued. "And you feel that there's no way out, that's just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, 'No, I can change.'"
Harington said he recently learned that the saying "a leopard doesn't change its spot" is false, and that idea that he could make a "huge fundamental change" was a helpful lesson in his own life.
Last week, Harington spoke more generally about his "mental health difficulties" on a SiriusXM radio show and how he was affected by the series finale of "Game of Thrones."
"I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show," Harington said.
In the two years since he went to rehab, the actor and his wife Rose Leslie (who was also his "Game of Thrones" costar) welcomed their first child together. Harington also has a starring role in an upcoming episode of Amazon's "Modern Love" season two, and an unnamed indie movie project. He says life is "wonderful" now.
"I have a child and my relationship is brilliant," he told the Sunday Times. "I'm a very, very happy, content, sober man."