Fatboy Slim marked 16 years of sobriety earlier this month, following his decades long battle with substance abuse.
The superstar DJ, 61, real name Norman Cook, took to Instagram to share an image of a blue plaque reading: ‘The Rave Heritage. Norman Cook. 16 years sober. Excellent Human, Creator of shenanigans, Lovely friend. Lives here’.
His sweet sign marking his acheivement acted as a spoof of London’s blue plaque scheme, run by English Heritage, which celebrates the links between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived.
He added a caption alongside reading: ‘I am so full of gratitude to everyone who has supported me in my long road of sobriety. Today is my 16th sober birthday. My love to all who have endured the same journey. ODAAT [One day at a time].’
A slew of celebrity friends and followers took to the comments section to congratulate Norman, including Davina McCall and John Thompson.
Fatboy Slim marked 16 years of sobriety earlier this month, following his decades long battle with substance abuse (pictured last year)
The superstar DJ, 61, real name Norman Cook, took to Instagram to share an image of a blue plaque reading: ‘The Rave Heritage. Norman Cook. 16 years sober. Excellent Human, Creator of shenanigans, Lovely friend. Lives here’
Norman first sought treatent for his alcoholism at an inpatient rehab facility in Bournemouth in 2009, after which he was relelased weeks later (pictured in 2009)
Norman first sought treatent for his alcoholism at an inpatient rehab facility in Bournemouth in 2009, after which he was relelased weeks later.
In 2015, he spoke candidly about his demons, saying: ‘I gave it a 30 good years. I caned the a**e out of it and left no stone unturned. But I would encourage everyone to have as much fun as possible – while it is still fun.’
He also spoke about being a ‘drugged up lunatic in the 1990s’ and said: ‘My first gig back sober, I have never been so petrified in my life…
‘I was paralysed with fear and felt physically sick and thought… what if I can’t do this anymore. It took me a while to be able to dance again.’
The post comes shortly after he gushed about his close relationship with his ex wife Zoe Ball, 54. The couple split in 2016 after 18 years of marriage but have remained close friends and co parents to their children Woody, 24, and Nelly, 15.
In an interview to promote his coffee table photo book looking back at his incredible career, Norman has reflected on his enduring relationship with his ‘soulmate’ Zoe.
Praising his ex for her support when they both rocketed to fame in the 1990s, Norman mused: ‘In the 90s, I was having too much fun to think about the next day or the next thing. It was like being on top of a big wave and you had to stay on.
‘You concentrate on not falling off. It became a whirlwind, but to be honest Zoe helped me through it as she knew that level of fame before.’
In 2015, he spoke candidly about his demons, saying: ‘I gave it a 30 good years. I caned the a**e out of it and left no stone unturned. But I would encourage everyone to have as much fun as possible – while it is still fun’ (pictured in 2023)
Speaking to The Mirror, he gushed: ‘Zoe is a very kind, thoughtful person and she just had this way of just checking my ego like “We are still human beings. We are still nice to people.”‘
‘She brought me through the trickier bits. If you are out with your mates you can’t say to them “I am having trouble coping with fame.” You are not going to get a lot of sympathy.
‘But to Zoe I could say “I am a bit scared. Is this not scary?” We could talk about it as we were thrust into the same spotlight. It was nice to have a soulmate in there with you.’
Norman and Zoe’s son Woody Cook recently revaled how his parents have been ‘gardening’ and ‘doing puzzles’ and working in a local cafe since Zoe quit her six-figure radio job.
The post comes shortly after he gushed about his close relationship with his ex wife Zoe Ball , 54 (pictured in 2001)
Radio presenter Zoe stepped down from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show in December to ‘focus on her family’, bidding farewell to her lucrative £950,000 salary.
Her departure came after an extended break earlier in the year when her mother Julia died from cancer, and she is now enjoying some time off with her family before returning to airwaves in March with a new project.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline last month, her son Woody, 24, gave an insight into how she has been spending her time since quitting her job, focusing on ‘gardening’ and ‘doing puzzles’.
He admitted it has been ‘funny’ watching his ‘crazy party’ parents Zoe and Norman ditching wild nights out for more calm hobbies.
‘In the last five years, it’s been funny watching my parents take up gardening both of them,’ Woody – who was promoting his Specsavers partnership – shared.
The couple split in 2016 after 18 years of marriage but have remained close friends and co parents to their children Woody, 24, and Nelly, 15
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