Chris Tarrant has revealed that he spent the first decade of his telly career boozed-up.
The TV legend, 75, who presented legendary kids' show Tis, confessed that he would kickstart his usual working day with an array of 'livener' pints which he would down from as early as 10.30am.
The much-loved TV star made the honest admission in his new memoir, It's Not A Proper Job.
Throughout the pages, Chris lifted the lid on landing his breakthrough presenting role on Birmingham-based show ATV Today - and how his drinking effected his role.
Chris explained that on his first day on the job, he was 'shown the ropes' by heading to the nearby pub for a booze-up.
The TV star admitted that his boss was plying him with alcohol at 10.30 in the morning - and after his first day on the job, it became the norm.
He penned: "On the day I began, I met a lovely guy called John Swallow. His idea of showing me the ropes was to go to The Crown pub.
"It was just after half 10 and my new boss was pouring pints down my neck.
"This became the normal pattern for most of the next 10 years. We would take what we always referred to as the 'livener', then start our day.
"We would almost certainly have a couple more at lunchtime and then there was the Green Room - open during transmission."
Chris' admission comes after the TV legend was infamously slapped with a 12-month drink-driving ban in 2018.
Following his driving ban, Chris told The Mirror that he 'learned his lesson'.
In a 2019 interview, he insisted: "I was silly and I have learned my lesson.
"It’s the small things I miss. I can’t just pop down the shops, and we are right in the sticks."
