In his first TV interview since 2005, Tony Slattery reveals his secret battle with bipolar and his breakdown at 36 which led him to down two bottles of vodka and take 10 grams of cocaine a day. Speaking on This Morning he detailed the chronology.
Tony Slattery's £4,000-a-week cocaine and alcohol addiction likely caused his death despite overcoming the extreme habits years ago, an expert has warned.
Ian Hamilton, Associate Professor at the University of York and expert on addiction, drugs and alcohol, said cocaine and binge drinking have long-lasting impacts on the heart. But Stephen Fry, a lifelong friend of the fellow comedian, revealed how Slattery was 'snatched' from us after finally recovering and finding himself in a good place.
In 2020, the comic also heartbreakingly revealed that he had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a priest when he was eight. And he spoke candidly about experiencing paranoia, including how he was driven to throwing electrical devices into the River Thames from his luxury warehouse because he thought he was being spied on.
In his BBC Two Horizon documentary What's The Matter With Tony Slattery?, the comic told Fry: 'No one in their right mind chooses to be depressed.' Slattery and his partner of 40 years Mark Michael Hutchinson , pictured together in 2020 for the documentary: What's the Matter with Tony Slattery?, which studied the link between depression and addiction
It was Mr Hutchinson, who met his late partner while starring in the musical Me and My Girl in the West End in 1986, who revealed his death, saying: 'It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.'
Alongside Sir Stephen and Dame Emma, he was the winner of the first Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. Tony said in 2017 that he thought it was a 'miracle' he lived as long as he did due to his addiction but admitted his partner Mark had kept him 'alive' during their relationship of almost 40 years.
Slattery - who regularly spoke openly about his bipolar disorder - revealed he went bankrupt following a battle with substance abuse and mental health issues.Tony Slattery as Marlene Dietrich in the stage play 'Privates on Parade', at the Sheffield Lyceum in 1996 Admitting he was financially 'naïve', Tony had been stashing cash from his agents there because he didn't know what to do with them.
Comedian and founder of the Hysteria Trust, Stephen Fry with in London to launch the third Hysteria comedy and music gala for Aids Charities in 1991'Something else there, there's something darker there, bipolarity. Stigma is getting better about mental illness, bipolarity is like autism or any disease, it's a huge spectrum, it's everything in between', he explained.
Thankfully, the TV personality was able to stay afloat thanks to his 'incredible' partner of 35 years, Mark, who managed to stop him from isolating himself. He said: 'I rented a huge warehouse by the River Thames. I just stayed in there on my own, didn't open the mail or answer the phone for months and months and months.Tony Slattery and Rowena King in 'Just a Gigolo' in 1993
Mark, who met Tony at the height of his career, said: 'It's tiring caring for someone, loving someone who is constantly on the edge.''You don't know what to prioritise or treat first: is it because of the alcohol or is it depression,' he adds.
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