Michelle Heaton opens up on scary near-death experience in days before rehab

Michelle Heaton has opened up on the trauma of being close to death from alcoholism before she finally got help in rehab.

The Liberty X singer recently shared her journey to get sober after a stay at The Priory and the devastating addiction to alcohol that had nearly destroyed her marriage and family.

Read more: Michelle Heaton and husband reveal dark times over menopause

Now, Heaton, 42, has told OK! magazine how close she came to death before getting the treatment she needed.

The mother-of-two and her husband Hugh Hanley revealed the lowest point they had been to in Heaton's three-year addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Hanley said: "Four days before going to the Priory she had a very bad fit in bed at 2am. She wouldn’t stop shaking and her mouth was drooling. That was scary and it really spooked her.

Her skin was also changing colour and she hadn’t eaten for days. Things had got so bad there was no way out. She was told in September 2020, with her liver the way it was, she was going to die if she did nothing about it."

The couple said that by April this year, Heaton was constantly vomiting and on the toilet, and while she was skinny her liver was visibly protruding.

Read more: Michelle Heaton urges people to get vaccinated after getting COVID

Heaton added: "I also wasn’t washing for days and my hair was falling out and had become very thin because of the alcohol abuse and hormones. I’d gone down to 7st 13lbs. My body was shutting down and couldn’t function without the alcohol."

She told how she would "wake up in the morning and scream for help, knowing no one was in the house", but fortunately was able to access the help she needed in rehab and has now been sober for 90 days.

Heaton shared how she was "thoroughly enjoying being a mummy" now that she wasn't reliant on alcohol, as Hanley told how she had avoided family time previously in favour of turning to the bottle.

She said that she would be on medication for her pancreas for the rest of her life and had been left with terrible bowel issues by the alcohol abuse.

They both said that they were surprised they had managed to stay together, but were getting on better than ever since Heaton left rehab in May.

Watch: Michelle Heaton 'was on a suicide mission during alcohol battle'