A Coronation Street legend who fought a long battle with alcohol would drink a bottle of vodka on the way to the set every day. Kevin Kennedy, known to fans as playing loveable Norman “Curly” Watts on the soap is now celebrating 25 years of sobriety.
He was a familiar face on TV screens from 1983 to 2003, but while he became a fans favourite, he was secretly battling a self-destructive addiction to alcohol behind the scenes.
At the height of his addiction, Kevin would drink a bottle of vodka on his way to set every day, followed by three bottles of wine a night and would also take speed and cocaine, reports the Mirror.
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But he managed to turn his life around after collapsing and being rushed to hospital in May 1998. Yet while Kevin, now 61, acknowledges this year is an important one on his recovery journey, he says he won’t be making a big thing of it.
He credits the soap’s bosses with saving his life after sending him to The Priory, after which he never touched drink or drugs again.
He told the Mirror: “The last time I had a drink will be 25 years ago in October. I haven’t thought much about it as it’s never the last drink I worry about, it’s the next one. That’s what I’m always concentrating on. But I’ll probably raise a cup of tea in salute, because tea is the answer to everything.
"It wasn’t the pressure of the job that made me do what I did, I did it because I liked it and liked I so much I got addicted and couldn’t stop it. But playing Curly was the perfect job for an addict, because when I performing I was someone else, and he was a lovely guy who everyone loved. To be honest, being Curly, it was a bit of a reprieve from being me.
“A lot of people grew up with Curly. These were the days when we were pulling in 20, 30 million views a week, so every third person in the country knew who you were. My daughters thought I knew everyone in the world.”
Manchester-born Kevin, who started on the soap at 21, also became a star of stage musicals. Ironically he is now starring as the opposite of himself again, the party-loving, drug-addicted club owner Dennis Dupree in smash hit musical Rock of Ages – now on a UK farewell tour.
"He’s as extreme as I used to be, he’s very hedonistic and takes a vast amount of drugs. But although there is a lot of ‘cocaine’ on stage and I’ve always got a bottle in my hand, it doesn’t bother me or trigger me any more," he said.
Kevin says he does not worry his girls might end up, like him, wasting their best years in a blur of addiction. He and Clare, his wife who is also a recovering addict, set up a charity, Kennedy Street, to help others with drug and booze problems in Brighton where they live.
Kevin added: “They have been brought up with two recovering addicts and understand the problems. More importantly, they understand there is an answer too. I don’t put my foot down and say you must not drink or take drugs. We’ve always been open and honest about what happened to us, and that’s the most important thing, that they have an education and knowledge.
“My daughters have grown up and never seen me touch drink or drugs, and touch wood they never will. It’s been 25 years since the last drink, and there won’t be a next one.”
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