Friends actor Matthew Perry has revealed he came close to death in 2018 when his colon burst due to opioid misuse.
Matthew – best known for his Chandler Bing in the hit 90s sitcom – was admitted to hospital four years ago, acknowledging at the time that this was due to a gastrointestinal perforation.
However, in his new memoir Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing, the Emmy nominee shares that he actually suffered a ruptured colon due to drug misuse.
As a result of this, he spent five months in hospital, for two weeks of which he was in a coma.
He also shared in an interview with People magazine that he was given a “two percent chance to live” when he first arrived in hospital.
“I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs,” he explained. “And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”
Matthew also disclosed that he spent nine months using a colostomy bag, telling the US outlet: “My therapist said, ’The next time you think about taking Oxycontin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life.
“And a little window opened and I crawled through it and I no longer want Oxycontin anymore.”
He also revealed he’s now undergone 14 surgeries on his stomach, claiming: “That’s a lot of reminders to stay sober. All I have to do is look down.”
In the past, Matthew has been candid in speaking about his past struggles with addiction, including during his time on Friends, which he elaborates on more in his new book.
Matthew said: “There were years that I was sober during that time. Season nine was the year that I was sober the whole way through. And guess which season I got nominated for Best Actor? I was like, ‘That should tell me something’.”
He also told People about how his Friends co-stars helped him through these difficult times.
Comparing the cast to penguins, Matthew said: “Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up. They walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That’s kind of what the cast did for me.”
Matthew’s upcoming book was first announced last year, with reports at the time claiming he’d signed a seven-figure deal to tell his life story.
The book will take readers “behind the scenes” of Friends and will also explore the substance abuse and alcohol issues that have dogged his career, according to publisher Flatiron Books.
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is released on 1 November.
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