Alcohol was a massive part of my life
Being attacked by an ape as a child triggered decades of alcoholism for SAS TV star Ollie
For many of us, once January ends, our annual break from alcohol can be ticked off until next year. But for Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton, it’s simply another month without booze.
The SAS: Who Dares Wins star has not drunk a drop of alcohol since 2019 – and plans to keep it that way.
“I don’t even have a sniff of a drink these days,” he says. “I don’t think I’ll ever have alcohol again.”
Booze played a big part in Ollie’s life from his early teens, more so during stressful periods of his life. He served in the Special Forces for six years after becoming a Royal Marine Commando aged 18, and later did high-risk security work in war-torn Baghdad.
“Once in the military, it was a case of work hard, play hard,” recalls Ollie, now 52, who lives in Dorset. “Whatever happened while on duty, during my time to relax I would go and get smashed. But for me, it was never only one or two beers. I’m all about extremes and just drank to get drunk.
“Looking back, I now see that alcohol acts like a tool to mask your emotions. It was my way of avoiding having to think about difficult things.”
He can trace his own battle with drink to a bizarre and shocking incident in 1980 when he was just 10. After a circus rolled into his hometown of Burton upon Trent, he went on a behind-the-scenes tour of its performing animals with his brother and a mate.
But while alone in a tent with a baby chimp, he was attacked by the ape’s 50kg mother, leaving him with severe injuries. His wounded arm later became gangrenous and although it was saved, the mental scars remained.
Describing the horrific incident when he thought he was going to die, Ollie says: “The attack lasted such a short time but was like a tiny stone being thrown into a big pond, causing ripples that last to this day.”
This early trauma led to a lifestyle fuelled by binge drinking. Although many of his drunken escapades now make him cringe – such as when he stripped naked at his brother’s wedding reception during a drinking game – others were more serious.
“After leaving the military I did security work in Baghdad,” he recalls.
“Despite living and working in a war zone, the majority of the time I was intoxicated. I was already in some very dodgy situations, so still being pickled from a hangover put me in further danger. I was always looking for excitement which brought the highs, but during the lows between jobs I would drink myself into oblivion.”
Once back in civvy street, Ollie worked
I could never have one or two beers – I’d go and get smashed
in Australia, where his drinking spiralled further out of control, meaning he even needed alcohol before heading into the office each morning. “I needed it to settle my nerves,” he says. “Alcohol was such a massive part of my life.” It was only after settling back in the UK that Ollie properly tackled his alcohol issues with the help of Laura, now his wife. He also landed an instructing role on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins and, since 2020, he’s been part of the Australian version alongside Ant Middleton. “When we started filming Who Dares Wins in 2016, I decided to not drink for the six weeks beforehand, which was probably the longest I’d gone without alcohol since I was 16,” he says. “After completing filming, everyone was ready to party, but I said I’d give it a miss. It was hard to do, but while others were still drinking the next morning, I went for a run and afterwards felt so elated that I’d not given in to alcohol.” Ollie relapsed for eight months while
filming the 2018 series in Chile, before quitting drinking again.
“I felt myself slipping back into my old ways,” he recalls.
“One morning I was on the sofa and knew if I hadn’t been drinking again, I would be out on the hills where we lived with our dog. That was in August 2019 and I haven’t had alcohol since.
People think every day’s a battle, but that’s not the case for me. I did think about alcohol a lot at first, but today I see not drinking as giving me more freedom. I now have a clarity of thought that I never had before. I’ve realised how amazing our minds are, so I don’t want to subdue mine. “I’m in control of my life now after years of confusion. Before I was being controlled by alcohol – it was telling me where to go and how to spend my money. Now I’m back in the driving seat with drink not playing a part in my life. “I wear my sobriety as a badge of honour rather than wishing I could go back to drinking again. Since I’ve given up, I’ve had the best years of my life – it’s no coincidence.” Ollie’s company, Break Point, is working with Alcohol Change UK to stage a Dry January 10k run to encourage people to challenge their relationship with drink.
“This new event celebrates the end of Dry January,” says Ollie.
“The idea is to reward those who’ve made a change and had a break from alcohol by saying ‘well done!’
“For others it’s the start of their journey of a life without drink playing such a dominant role. It will be fantastic to end this month with a finisher’s medal around your neck rather than a drink in your hand.”
Since I gave up drinking I’ve had the best years of my life. No coincidence
To take part in the Dry January 10k event to fundraise for Alcohol Change UK, next Sunday, 10am either virtually or in person at Pippingford Park, near East Grinstead, West Sussex – visit dryjanuary10k.org