No one can be a rock all the time

LISA has obviously been so supportive of Ant, but having all the focus on him – privately as well as publicly – can take its toll.

People can forget about the partner, who often ends up being the carer of the person battling an addiction.

Ant and Lisa have been amazingly strong. But this is only the beginning.

Quite often a partner breaks down as the stress gets to them, and the reality of what’s happened sinks in.

Also, when the person has recovered and carried on with their life and everything suddenly seems fine again, there can be resentment.

You can feel like you’ve given part of yourself up, as every waking moment has been spent worrying about that person.

Ant now needs to focus on Lisa a bit, give her lots of reassurance to build her up again.

It must have been so hard for her, but they’re childhood sweethearts and they have that lifelong bond.

I want to tell Lisa that you don’t have to be a rock all the time. It’s OK to say it’s been hard and that you need help too.