“Game Of Thrones” Actress Rose Leslie Reflects on Husband Kit Harrington’s Journey To Recovery

American audiences are probably most familiar with English actor Kit Harrington and his wife actress Rose Leslie for their roles on the hit 2010s HBO series Game of Thrones. After meeting on the set of the show while playing the heroic Stark bastard Jon Snow and his wildling paramour Ygritte, the two struck up a real-life romance that culminated in their 2018 marriage and the birth of their son (whose name they have chosen not to reveal to the public) in February of 2021. 

But all hasn’t been without obstacles for this picture-perfect power couple, and, in a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Leslie commented on one of the reasons why: her husband’s struggles with addiction. 

Harrington’s battle with alcoholism was first alluded to in May 2019, when, after filming the Game of Thrones finale, the actor checked into the high end Privé-Swiss retreat to focus on unnamed “personal issues.” 

Later, though, Harrington admitted that he had primarily been seeking help for an alcohol addiction, revealing during an interview with the Sunday Times that took place last August that he had then been sober for 2.5 years. 

“Things that have happened to me since Thrones ended, and that were happening during Thrones, were of a pretty traumatic nature, and they did include alcohol,” he described. 

He’s also commented on the fact that he believes the intense nature of the show contributed to his mental health issues after and during the end of the series, and that, as his lowest point, he’d gone as far as considering suicide. 

“You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person. And you feel that there’s no way out, that’s just who you are,” he described.

Eventually, though, Harrington was able to put this dark period behind him by embracing sobriety and discovering that he could indeed change his ways. Later, he decided to come forward in the hopes that his story could serve as a positive example to others, though he also conveyed a sense of humility about his struggles.

“I definitely don’t want to be seen as a martyr or special. I’ve been through something, it’s my stuff. If it helps someone, that’s good,” he said.

Unlike some other celebrities who have publicly battled addiction and ended up on the wrong side of the headlines, Harrington was able to keep his struggles largely under wraps while he was in the midst of them. 

“I will say about my addictions that I kept them very, very quiet and I was incredibly secretive and incredibly locked up with them. So they came as quite a surprise to the people around me,” he said. 

However, when it came to those close to Harrington, including Leslie, it was a very different story. 

“You can imagine the stresses that it causes to those around you,” he reflected.

But the latest comments from the actress, who Bazaar writer Helena Lee described as “preternaturally nice” and “surprisingly normal” considering her substantial fame, seem to further indicate that Harrington has come to a much healthier place after seeking help.

After making the courageous decision to pursue addiction treatment, he continued to commit to sobriety by embracing the time-tested wisdom of twelve-step fellowship Alcoholics Anonymous, which also inform Reco Intensive’s addiction treatment program. 

“The AA community has provided such a loving space for him to feel heard, to make sure he’s not alone . . . But if it weren’t for rehab, he would be in a very different headspace right now,” Leslie said.

Leslie has also sought out her own support system by attending Al-Anon, a sister group designed for the friends and family of those struggling with alcoholism. This has allowed her to accept that, while her support of her husband is critical, in the end, Harrington’s disease is only his cross to bear.

“I’ve learnt a lot about addiction and it’s something Kit is forever going to be aware of, but it’s on him whether he chooses to drink again,” she said.

“No amount of nannying is going to be able to stop him from doing what he decides to do… I don’t choose to put that pressure on myself. . . It’s not on me to guard him from it,” she continued.

Luckily, though, it seems as if she doesn’t have to. Now, Harrington describes himself as a “very, very happy, content, sober man,” enjoying a “wonderful” life and “brilliant” relationship while adapting to his new role as a parent. He has also commented on how fatherhood has helped him to push past the self-obsession that both the “self-centered disease” of addiction and an acting career can foster. 

“Because our art and work is a projection and part of ourselves,” Harrington explains.

“Having a kid changes that somewhat. At the end of the day you are like, ‘I have this child to get back to.”

In her recent interview, Leslie also praised Harrington for his commitment to their son, speaking of the “glorious” way her husband picked up the slack and attended to him at night so that Leslie could get enough sleep to fulfill her early morning obligations during filming for the upcoming HBO series The Time Traveler’s Wife. 

Taken together, the comments of the two performers present a tremendously inspiring example of healthy attitudes with which to approach addiction. If you’re ready to take a similar leap into recovery and are interested in learning more about how Delray Beach rehab facility Reco Intensive’s comprehensive intensive outpatient program can help get you or a loved one back on the road to a brighter future, feel free to call us anytime at 844.955.3042 or to contact us online anytime here.