Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed he became a cocaine addict after his cycling career ended and is “lucky to be here”.
The 45-year-old, who won the 2012 Tour de France and five Olympic gold medals during an illustrious career, said his two children wanted to put him in rehab because they feared the habit could kill him.
The star of London 2012 said he has been clean for 12 months, has regular therapy sessions, and feels “a lot more at peace” with himself.
He told The Observer there were times his son “thought I was going to be found dead in the morning”.
“I was a functioning addict,” he said. “People wouldn’t realise. I was high most of the time for many years.
“I was walking a tightrope. I realised I had a huge problem. I had to stop. I’m lucky to be here.”
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Since ending his career in 2016, Sir Bradley has spoken about his father’s jealousy and being groomed by a coach as a child.
Sir Bradley, who was declared bankrupt last year, said disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong helped his recovery, including offering to pay for therapy.
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Speaking to Cycling Weekly, he said his addiction “was a way of easing that pain that I lived with”.
“I’m still figuring a lot of this out but what I have got is a lot more control of myself and my triggers; I’m a lot more at peace with myself now which is a really big thing,” he said.
