Former Bachelorette Meredith Phillips Reveals Battle With Alcoholism: 'I Was Drunk Every Night'
Former The Bachelorette star Meredith Phillips revealed in the issue of People magazine on stands Friday that she has struggled with alcoholism, even while she was filming the hit reality show.
"I was drunk every night," Phillips told the magazine.
Alcohol is a staple on most reality shows, and The Bachelorette is no different. The stars and contestants often drink wine, champagne, and cocktails on their dates and "challenges." Phillips, who participated in the second season of the show in 2004, was often seen on-camera with a glass of bubbly in hand.
The 39-year-old former model said that at her worst, she drank more than 20 bottles of wine a week, then plummeted deeper into her addiction when she broke up with the show's winner, her former fiancé Ian McKee. Phillips said she began contriving "little tricks" to fool friends and family, like drinking boxed wine instead of bottles, because it was easier to throw away.
"My lowest point was when I realized my mother was in a hospital bed dying of cancer and I was at her house, drinking myself to death," Phillips admitted. "I just didn't care."
"For years I'd wake up every day feeling like I was hit by a truck, but I realized I was going to kill myself. There wasn't another path for me other than to stop," she said.
According to Business Insider, Phillips went to rehab when her brother intervened and offered to pay for her treatment. She was successfully treated and said that she has been sober for 150 days.
"I still have a lot of healing to do, but I'm feeling better every day," said Phillips. "It's not fun to start over again at 39 ... but life is short. And I have a second chance."