Suzanne: “I’ve found a new me since quitting alcohol”
Actress and ex-Hear’Say star Suzanne Shaw is celebrating a year off booze. Not only does she feel better than ever, she credits it for helping her avoid depression during lockdown
She vowed to ditch alcohol in January 2020, and managed to stick to her guns despite the stress brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. And now, as the nation endures a third lockdown, Suzanne Shaw is showing no sign of giving up her mission to stay off booze. Last week, the 39-year-old singer revealed she had no plans to go back to the destructive bad habits that would often leave her with feelings of “selfloathing and crazy thoughts”.
Marking her impressive milestone on Instagram, Suzanne proudly told her followers, “Will I go back to it? Never say never. But right now, I’ve found a new me. I am so much happier. I don’t want to ruin that happiness. Here’s to another year!”
And Suzanne – who rose to fame as part of pop group Hear’Say in 2001 – believes her decision to overhaul her lifestyle helped her cope with the stress and anxiety of the pandemic last year. Ditching booze was part of her self-titled Shaw Happy Plan, which has four main elements: running, going alcoholfree, continuing a plant-based diet, and practising mindfulness and meditation.
The singer – who is mum to Corey, 16, with ex Darren Day, and five-year-old Rafferty with her fiancé Sam Greenfield – described her new regime in detail on her Instagram account, saying, “I wanted to TRULY change it (my lifestyle) and not let myself down for the 20th year in a row! I burst into tears realising that I’d become desperately unhappy…I’ve never been massively overweight, but I had piled on the pounds and got to the biggest I’d been without being pregnant, and it was all down to eating and drinking my emotions. If I was going to do it this time, I had to do it for very different reasons and that reason wasn’t going to be about getting into a size 8 dress, it was to be HAPPY again.”
In a positive turnaround, the mum-oftwo is looking forward to another year of feeling stronger – on both a mental and physical level – and has shared her top tips for those turning their backs on booze for Dry January. Speaking on an Instagram Live video, she told fans that “being assertive” is key. Suzanne explained, “Being assertive is really important, owning the challenge. If you’re doing Dry January, own it and enjoy it. Don’t go into it with gritted teeth, thinking ‘I’ve just got to get through this’”.
TEMPTATION
And she suggests having some strategies in place for times of temptation. Suzanne added, “Obviously we’re not out and about at the moment, so it can be a lot easier. But we still do have Zoom and phone calls. Some of those Zoom calls can be quite triggering, because often they’re with friends you enjoy having a drink with. Have some placebos at the ready. There are some amazing companies out there for great alcohol-free beverages. Sam and I used to enjoy a drink together, but he has had to get used to me not drinking alcohol. But when I have an alcohol-free Prosecco or an alcohol-free red wine, he still feels like I’m having a drink with him and you share that connection.”
Suzanne also has a “money pot” to keep track of the financial benefits that come with not drinking. She says, “Every time I knew I was wanting to buy a drink, I was putting money aside. But now, that money has paid for a nutrition course, a pair of running shoes – basically things that have helped me with self-improvement. That reward is a really good thing to do when you are quitting alcohol. Booze is expensive, especially if you had the habit I had. I was quids in by the end!”
LIFE-CHANGING
In the space of a year, the 5ft 2 actress managed to lose a stone and two dress sizes – going from a size 12 and 10st to a size 8 and weighing just under 9st. But for Suzanne, it isn’t about the number on the scales. She explains, “It is about putting the right nutrition into my body, so I feel happy. I look at myself differently now, too. The better I eat, the better I feel.”
She has talked openly about battling depression in the past, and says following a plant-based diet has also “transformed” her mental health. She said, “Overhauling my diet has changed my life. I firmly believe that what you eat affects the balance in your head – I’ll always have to put the effort into taking control of my depression, but going vegan has transformed my mental wellbeing.”
By Zara Zubeidi
‘I look at myself differently
now’