Steve Coogan has revealed he is set to become a grandfather for the first time, as the actor and comedian opened up about his turbulent cocaine-fuelled past and lessons learned from his ‘unsuccessful’ relationships.
The Alan Partridge star, 59, announced the happy news on Tuesday, saying that while he has been unlucky in romantic love, his family has brought him the greatest happiness.
‘I’ve not been hugely successful,’ he said of his love life on The Louis Theroux Podcast. ‘I was married a long time ago. I have a stepson and a daughter, and I’m soon to be a grandfather, and all that stuff gives me great satisfaction.
‘Having those relationships in my life are the most important relationships in my life.’
Steve’s only child Clare, 29 – a London-based chef and daughter of Steve’s ex, solicitor Anna Cole – is pregnant.
Clare is in a long-term relationship with the BAFTA-winning actor Jamie Demetriou, 37, who played Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s on-screen love interest in Fleabag.
Steve Coogan has revealed he is set to become a grandfather for the first time as his daughter Clare, 29, is pregnant (seen with Clare in 2019)
He also opened up about his turbulent cocaine-fuelled past and lessons learned from his ‘unsuccessful’ relationships (seen in 2002)
Steve has previously credited fatherhood with grounding him amid his decades-long career in comedy and acting, once describing becoming a parent as ‘the most important relationship of my life’ and admitting that his daughter helped him navigate periods of instability.
Speaking on the podcast, the Philomena star – who grew up in Middleton, near Manchester, as one of six children – said his early career success sent his life into chaos that included a string of high-profile relationships and hard-partying lifestyle.
He was married to British socialite Caroline Hickman in 2002 for three years.
Other exes include glamour models China Chow and Loretta Basey, singer Courtney Love, Downton Abbey actress Daisy Lewis and TV presenter Melanie Sykes.
Steve reflected: ‘Certainly in my 20s and 30s, I had what I would call delayed adolescence.
‘When I had that first flash of success, I thought, ‘Oh, I can do what I like now.’ I was awkward originally with women.
‘Suddenly I was confident, and I had lots of relationships and then went off the deep end. I didn’t have a proper job, so I had a lack of accountability.’
The actor also spoke frankly about his history of substance abuse, revealing that cocaine was his main vice during those years.
Steve’s only child Clare, 29 – a London-based chef and daughter of Steve’s ex, solicitor Anna Cole – is pregnant. Clare is in a long-term relationship with the BAFTA-winning actor Jamie Demetriou (seen together)
‘It’s the instant gratification’, he explained.
‘When you self destructive like that, everything becomes a problem. Small things become problems because you’re not functioning cognitively, properly. You’re half functioning.
‘And when you swim away from that slowly, the cloud lifts and you find that it’s not worth it. That’s what you discover.
‘And actually, the payoff is so much better because you discover all these new things, like being able to cope with 20 things at the same time.’
He continued: ‘Your relationships become more sustainable and enjoyable. The worst thing about drinking and doing drugs is you have to lie. When you’re liberated from lying, it’s like a huge weight off your shoulders. And you have to relearn.
‘Sometimes I remember I’d be driving along – this was years after I’d been sober – and I’d see a police car following me, and I’d think, ‘S***, have I drunk too much?’ And I’d realise no, you don’t drink. I’d forgotten. Because that became intrinsic in me for a while.’
He said being sober was ‘just easier’, adding, ‘When you get to a certain age, you can’t have a really fantastic evening and a fantastic morning – and I choose mornings. There’s a dividend.’
He continued: ‘I stopped [drugs and alcohol] about 11 years ago, but then I started drinking, then I stopped. I didn’t go off the deep end, but I flirted with it again and then decided to stop. When you don’t [drink], it’s easy. You don’t have to worry about driving home or any of that. It’s just more straightforward.’
The actor and director revealed he is now ‘in a relationship’ but declined to name his new girlfriend.
Opening up about his diminishing sex drive with age, he said: ‘Your tastes change as you get older. Your libido starts to subside.
‘When you need it to happen, it can happen. It’s just that it’s less… What’s that old thing about being chained to an idiot? I’m beyond [it].’
He added that these days, he prefers nights in with his girlfriend. ‘I don’t want to go out in the evening. I want to stay in, have some food and watch [TV],’ he said.
‘My current girlfriend said, have you ever watched Foyle’s War? I took her down to Sussex [where Steve has a home] and she said, this is like Foyle’s War around here! I went, ‘What are you talking about?’ She’s a big fan of Foyle’s War.
He was married to British socialite Caroline Hickman in 2002 for three years (pictured together in 2003)
‘It was a Sunday evening police drama set during the war about a detective on the south coast near Eastbourne, which is where it was filmed.
‘It’s a very well done, but very gentle Sunday evening drama, where the world is quite nice, and no one – apart from probably one murderer a week – is horrible. I started enjoying that in a way I never would have done 25 years ago.
‘Now I go, ‘Let’s have ourselves a cosy evening in and watch Foyle’s War because the world is pretty horrible and it’s nice to pretend that it’s nice.”
He added: ‘I would rather watch Foyle’s War than have a line of cocaine.’
