Kirstie Allsopp: 'I Drank Copious Amounts Of Booze To Help Me Get Over The Death Of My Mother'
'I Drank Copious Amounts Of Booze To Help Me Get Over The Death Of My Mother'
Matt Bagwell— The Huffington Post UK
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Kirstie Allsopp has revealed she turned to drink following the death of her mother in January.
The ‘Location Location Location’ presenter says she hit the bottle to block out the pain of losing her mum, Fiona Hindlip, to cancer just a month after her father-in-law died.
But Kirstie says she has now cut back on boozing because it can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
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Kirstie Allsopp
“After Mum and Viv’s deaths, we drank copious amounts on a daily basis to get through,” she told Prima magazine.
“Then summer came and we were drinking at lunchtime. So I’ve cut down recently.
“Alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer and having a family history of it, I’m very aware of that.”
Kirstie also revealed how she has coped since losing her mother.
“I’ve found that the bath is the best place for grieving and a good cry in private,” she said.
“I sometimes find myself sitting in the bath in floods of tears. But then I get out, dry myself, get dressed and get on.
“I didn’t hide from the children that I was in mourning. The problem is that they’re now very jumpy about cancer, having lost their dog, their grandfather and their granny to it in one year.”
During an interview on 'This Morning', the presenter stood by her interview in The Telegraph where she made the comments and said it was an important issue that needed to be discussed more openly.
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Beer Before Liquor Makes You Sicker(02 of08)
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And liquor before beer, never fear — right?Wrong. The idea that the order of what you drink enables you to drink more without getting sick is another alcohol myth that needs to be retired.Says Dr. Finkelstein, alcohol is alcohol — whether beer, vodka, or wine — and what you drink doesn’t matter as much as the amount you drink. So if you find yourself hugging the toilet after a night of boozing, you really can’t blame the order in which you downed it. (credit:Shutterstock)
Eat Bread, Sober Up(03 of08)
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Coffee Curbs Drunkenness(04 of08)
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Warning: This hangover remedy is one big, fat myth! Have a cup of caffeinated coffee, and you’ll still be drunk — you’ll just be more of an awake drunk.What’s more, you could be making the situation harder on yourself, Finkelstein says. The caffeine makes you think you are sobering up, but all you’re really doing is counteracting the sedating effects of the alcohol … not decreasing your alcohol level. That means, you may take chances that you wouldn’t take if you were sleepier. (credit:Shutterstock)
A Few Cocktails Make You Sexier(05 of08)
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You may feel like a smooth operator after throwing back booze — but are your drinking buddies really as charmed as you think they are?Nah. Shakespeare debunked this alcohol myth in another of his plays, "Macbeth," when the porter says that drink “provokes the desire, but takes away the performance.” The bard was right, Finkelstein says. Alcohol may put you in the mood and shut off your natural inhibitions, so you may be more willing to approach your partner, but if you’re drunk, you can forget about acting on your desires. “Men who are drunk often can’t perform,” he says. (credit:Shutterstock)
You Can Drink Like the Best of ’Em(06 of08)
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Think everyone reacts to alcohol the same way? Think again, says Finkelstein.A number of factors affect how you react to even just one glass of wine with dinner. To name a few: how much you weigh, how much you’ve eaten, what time of day it is, your body chemistry, what medications you’re taking, your mood, and even your gender. That’s why it’s important to understand your alcohol tolerance — and think twice about pushing the limits. (credit:Shutterstock)
Big Belly? Blame the Beer(07 of08)
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Can one too many beers give you a beer belly? Sure it can. But so can one too many glasses of wine or spirits.Research published in the Journal of Nutrition found that when it comes to tummy fat, it’s not the beer — it’s the calories. In fact, of the participants studied, liquor drinkers tended to have bigger bellies than beer drinkers and wine drinkers. Weight gain occurs when you take in more calories than you burn. A 12-ounce bottle of beer has 100 to 200 calories (depending on the type of brew it is), so having just one or two may not make you chunkier, especially if burn off those extra calories with exercise.It’s when you down four or five (on the couch!) that the beer starts to show. (credit:Shutterstock)
Boozing Kills Brain Cells(08 of08)
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Has Mom ever told you that drinking will zap your brain cells? Actually, her finger-wagging is open for debate.According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol negatively affects the brain, causing slurred speech and memory lapses. However, some studies have shown that alcohol doesn’t permanently damage your brain. Indeed, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine even found that one to two drinks a day offered some protection against dementia for older adults. Red wine also has been said to be good for the heart.The answer? Moderation is key, says Finkelstein. (credit:Shutterstock)