Ashley Walters has opened up about how his struggles with alcoholism impacted his family and revealed how he is now working to rebuild his relationships with his kids.
The Top Boy star, 42, battled alcohol addiction for years after his 18-month stint in a young offenders’ institute in 2002.
He was jailed after being found to be carrying a loaded air pistol modified to fire live ammunition following an argument with a traffic warden.
Appearing on Saturday’s upcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, Ashley – who is a father to eight children – revealed that he is now almost five years sober.
He candidly said: ‘I drank too much alcohol. I am nearly five years sober now.’
Reflecting on how his alcoholism affected him and his loved ones, Ashley emotionally revealed the moment when he decided to seek out help for his addiction.
Ashley Walters has opened up about how his struggles with alcoholism impacted his family and revealed how he is now working to rebuild his relationships with his kids
The Top Boy star, 42, battled alcohol addiction for years after his 18-month stint in a young offenders’ institute in 2002 (Ashley and his younger children are pictured)
‘It took its toll on my body, it took its toll on my career but more importantly my family – my wife and my kids,’ he shared.
‘The day I decided to get help was the day my six-year old daughter at the time knocked on my bedroom door and said she didn’t want me to live there anymore and that was hard to take – it hit me in the heart.’
‘I went in (rehab) for four weeks and came out a better man,’ he added.
Host Jonathan then asked Ashley whether he had managed to rebuild his relationships with his older children.
Ashley responded: ‘It’s a lifelong amends. I’m paying back to them everyday. It’s tough.
‘Some people find it hard to forget but what I do everyday is clean my side of the street and put out that olive branch and they’re slowly coming back to the table so it’s good.’
The actor also reflected on his 18-month-long stint in prison, describing it as a ‘nightmare’.
He shared: ‘It was a nightmare. I have a vivid memory of being brought into the holding cell with other inmates who have just come in as well, to be processed.
Appearing on Saturday’s upcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, Ashley – who is a father to eight children – revealed that he is now almost five years sober
He appeared on the programme alongside Jodie Whittaker, Warwick Davis and Daisy May Cooper
‘We’re all sitting there together on this bench and they’ve got a TV in the corner just playing over and over again the news story of me being brought into court. I realised that I was going to be in for a hard time at that point.’
Elsewhere on the show, Ashley discussed his upcoming role in Adolescence, a new Netflix series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, set to release on March 13.
He explained: ‘It’s called Adolescence – it’s out on the 13th. It follows the murder of a young girl and the accused. It’s a lot about toxic masculinity online and knife crime that we’re dealing with up and down the right country right now.
‘It’s one single take. It’s directed by Philip Barantini and he kind of shoots in that way. I got there and it was f*****g hard, man. It’s pretty much being on stage.You learn the whole script.
‘It was really emotional because by the end of it, you’re drained and fully in character. I said the wrong name in the last two minutes of the episode.
‘I called out to the kid playing my son but I called him the wrong name. Phillip, bless him, he was really nice afterwards and he said “It’s kind of arty because your head is so discombobulated” and I said “Bro, we’ve got to do it again”.’
In 2023, Ashley shared that the biggest regret of his life was when his children saw him being arrested after threatening a traffic warden back in 2002.
Ashley was jailed after being found to be carrying a loaded air pistol modified to fire live ammunition following an argument with a traffic warden
The actor opened up about his life in a candid chat for the BBC’s Louis Theroux Interviews, where he spoke about his run ins with the law.
Ashley recalled how he once had a gun pulled on him while carrying his son Shayon, now 22, after making a comment about someone copying his lyrics on the radio.
Following the incident, the father-of-eight spent £1,300 on a pistol for ‘protection’.
However, in 2002, he was arrested after losing his temper during a disagreement with a traffic warden and saying: ‘I’m going to shoot you.’
His former partner, Natalie Williams, and their children Shayon and China, now 21, witnessed him being handcuffed and taken away by police.
Recalling the incident, he said: ‘I wasn’t actually going to shoot. I weren’t willing to risk my liberty over shooting a traffic warden. But I mean, I made my comments, I said what I said.’
‘It was horrific. My biggest regret is that my kids were there. It was a big part of my life,’ he admits. ‘I didn’t ever want to go back to prison.’
Ashley shares Shayon and Panerai, 19, and daughter China with his former partner, Natalie Williams.
He also has two young daughters, Antonia and Ashleigh, with another unnamed woman, while he raises Amiaya-Love, River, and a stepson with his wife of 12 years, actress Danielle Isaie.
The actor, from Peckham in south-east London, was raised by his mother, Pamela, while his father was frequently in and out of prison.
He joined the So Solid Crew when he was 16 and established himself as Asher D.
Elsewhere on the show, Ashley discussed his upcoming role in Adolescence, a new Netflix series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, set to release on March 13
Reflecting on his youth, he said: ‘We live in a place where if young people are not fully occupied, then what are they doing? They’re hanging around, maybe getting themselves into trouble.’
‘It was only when I got to maybe 16, I changed, as a kid. In those years is when I went out and I got in trouble, and joined So Solid.’
He continued: ‘I wasn’t rebelling against my mum, but it was rebelling against all of those things that she’d built up for me and how safe she kept me… I didn’t grow up rich, but I had no reason to sell drugs or to be out on the street.’
‘But I was walking with some real gangsters at the time, so it was easy for me to become a target.’
The Jonathan Ross Show airs Saturday’s at 9:20pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Leave a Reply