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Adrian Chiles cut down on alcohol after drinking 38 units in one day

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09:  Adrian Chiles attends his Screen Epiphany of 'Sergeant York' at BFI Southbank on March 9, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Adrian Chiles attends his Screen Epiphany of 'Sergeant York' at BFI Southbank (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Adrian Chiles has told how he cut down on drinking after realising he had consumed around 38 units of alcohol in one day.

The presenter, 52, said he started counting his drinks when he was making BBC documentary Drinkers Like Me, which aired in 2018.

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Speaking on the Series Linked podcast, he said: “I’ve definitely drunk much less.

“But that just came down to counting it. I resisted counting what I was drinking for a long time. I vaguely knew I should do.

“And literally the first time I ever counted what I was drinking was the first day of filming.

“West Brom were playing Liverpool and it was a lunchtime kick-off at home.”

ITV presenter Adrian Chiles
ITV presenter Adrian Chiles

Chiles said he had some drinks watching the game and drank again later when he attended a friend’s birthday celebration.

“I totted them all up in the morning, it was something like 38 units,” he said.

“And it didn't even feel a big drinking day to me. I certainly wasn’t drunk at any point. So I thought, hang on a bit, this is dodgy.”

The star said he still counts what he is drinking every day as it “keeps you honest”.

Chiles has previously been open about his drinking habits, telling The Sun two years ago that he had had an alcoholic drink nearly every day since he was 15.

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He said: “I’ve been drinking for 36 years, since I was 15, more or less every day.

“I’ve worked out that if I lined up every drink I’ve ever had, the row of glasses would stretch beyond two-and-a-half miles - the length of 44 football pitches.”

The NHS advises men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week.

Its website says that is “equivalent to a bottle and a half of wine or five pints of export-type lager”.