Vicky Pattison turned to alcohol to 'calm down' during 'Geordie Shore' rise to fame

Vicky Pattison has said she often turned to alcohol to "calm myself down" during her time as a confrontational personality on reality TV series Geordie Shore.

The 34-year-old star became known for her love of "getting mortal" on the show, which she joined for the 2011 original series and stuck around until 2014.

Read more: Vicky Pattison admits she "sacrificed respect for attention" on Geordie Shore

She has now made documentary My Dad, Alcohol and Me for Channel 4, in which she explores her own relationship with booze as well as her father's struggles with alcoholism.

"I’m not an alcoholic, but I have abused alcohol in the past and I have a problematic relationship with drink,” Pattison told the i paper.

Watch: Vicky Pattison talks about relationship with alcohol ahead of doc

She added: "For so long I cultivated this image as the loud-mouthed party girl who was always up for everything and always had an opinion so, when I go out, I feel that pressure to get drunk and perform that role – otherwise, who am I?"

An offshoot of the American reality show Jersey Shore, Geordie Shore focused on a group of around a dozen young people living together in a house in Newcastle.

Read more: Vicky Pattison said documentary is "cathartic" process

Pattison became known as "Volcano Vicky" for her aggressive outbursts on the show and has previously said she felt "worthless" after her time as a reality TV star.

Reflecting on the show now, she described it as having a shocking effect on her relationship with alcohol, saying: "I know other cast members had a great experience, but I felt like my life wasn’t my own and I drank to calm myself down".

Pattison added: "Of course, there’s a line where that stops and you’re just fuelling the fire, but it is so hard to stop at that point, especially when you’re younger. I was so daft and immature back then."

The documentary, which is set to air on Channel 4 on 2 August, follows Pattison and her father, who is working to get his own life back on track via AA meetings and rehab.

Read more: Vicky Pattison "medicated with alcohol" after I'm a Celeb win

Pattison has said she was spurred on to make the film due to the fact that her age now is similar to the age at which her father's struggles were at their worst.

She added: "It was incredibly hard to film and there were tense calls with my agents when I wasn’t sure I could continue, or if I was doing the right thing by my dad, but I knew deep down it was important to see it through to the end."

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