Carmarthen Journal

I choose not to drink but I don’t see alcohol as an enemy

Spencer Matthews talks to LIZ CONNOR about becoming a dad, ditching booze and stepping out of Made In Chelsea’s shadow

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SPENCER MATTHEWS found fame on Made In Chelsea, the award-winning reality drama which followed the love lives of a group of wealthy London 20-somethings.

But now, at 32, the ex-etonian says life couldn’t be more different from his boozy days on the popular show. He’s been married to Irish model Vogue Williams since 2018 and has two children – Theodore, two, and Gigi, six months.

He’s also sober and a successful entreprene­ur in his own right, having recently launched a lowalcohol liquor company called Cleanco (clean.co).

“I’m not sure I’d know myself, or even be friends with myself, three years ago,” says Spencer, reflecting on all the changes.

He says sobriety seemed a natural lifestyle choice ahead of the birth of his son. “I remember Theodore was going to be born in a few months and I was at the stage where I was drinking really rather very heavily and it was going to be a big shock to the system. When you have kids, you realise it’s not really about you any more – suddenly you have to be ready and available for them at all times.”

That said, the TV star says there’s a difference between being teetotal and being sober, and there wasn’t a dramatic interventi­on moment where he finally said no to drinking. Like an increasing amount of people, he was simply ‘sober curious’ – interested in questionin­g his drinking habits for healthfocu­sed reasons.

“I choose not to drink alcohol but I don’t see it as an enemy,” he stresses. “I’m not in recovery and I don’t have an alcohol dependency issue; I just prefer living my life in a sober manner, having been drunk for a lot of my 20s and late teens.

“In the past, I’d drink to be social and I’d formed poor habits over time. I didn’t even realise I drank to excess in the way that I did, as it wasn’t this big looming problem. I wasn’t being sat down by my friends and being told they think there’s some kind of issue.”

His interest in sobriety led him to founding his low-alcohol drinks start-up, which has just raised funds to expand worldwide.

Cleanco uses traditiona­l distilling methods to create ultra low-alcohol spirits including rum and gin with 1.2% ABV that taste remarkably like the real thing.

Spencer saw a gap in the market for people like him, who don’t class themselves as ‘problem drinkers’ as such, and still want to enjoy their favourite spirit on a Friday night.

“A lot of people aren’t alcoholics but probably feel like they drink a bit too much,” he says.

“When I decided to quit alcohol, there wasn’t anything to fill that gap. If I was in the pub, I’d have to order a Coca Cola and it makes you stick out negatively for making a positive decision, which is rare.

“If you decided you want to lose weight or take up running, most of your mates will think that’s a ‘good for you’ moment. Whereas if you don’t go out drinking, your mates think you’ve become boring. That’s a shame. I think the stigma around not drinking should change, so it’s not just socially acceptable but a positive thing.

Having made drinking a less regular fixture in his evenings though, Spencer only has good things to say about the positive impact cutting back has had on his life.

“I’m the kind of person where if I have one or two beers, I’ll become a bit inherently lazily. I’ll put stuff off until the next day and I’ll stay out for another hour. It really gets in the way for me,” he says.

“My goals in life were completely unachievab­le when I was drinking alcohol and now they seem within reach.”

Does he have any regrets about the ‘old Spencer’ he left behind?

“I wish I’d done less reality television, to be honest,” he laughs. “I probably would have left TV to pursue a career in business earlier.

“I’m finding it really hard as a young entreprene­ur to break that mould of being ‘that guy’ from ‘that show’. It isn’t the end of the world, because it was a popular show, but my life is so different now.

“I kind of feel like saying to people, ‘Well what were you doing when you were 19? Do you want to be remembered for that for the rest of your life?’ It’s kind of an unfair label to carry.”

“I try not to regret those things from my past though,” Spencer concludes. “As had I not lived those years of hedonism, the importance of what we’re doing now wouldn’t have been quite as potent for me.”

A lot of people aren’t alcoholics but probably feel like they drink a bit too much

Spencer explains that sober doesn’t mean teetotal

 ??  ?? Spencer Matthews has moved away from reality TV to launch his own range of low-alcohol liquor
Spencer Matthews has moved away from reality TV to launch his own range of low-alcohol liquor
 ??  ?? Spencer with wife Vogue Williams
Spencer with wife Vogue Williams

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