Jim White has extended his support to all of those battling alcohol addiction after revealing he has now been sober for 11 years.
The beloved Sky Sports icon, who is now a host on talkSPORT has spoken honestly and openly about his alcoholism in the past. The 65-year-old previously admitted that colleagues - including Graeme Souness - had expressed their concerns over his drinking prior to cutting it out in 2011.
And White started his talkSPORT show on Friday by offering a congratulatory message to those on the "same path" as him and supported those still on their own personal journeys. "I just want to wish everyone on a similar path to me - I'm exactly 11 years sober to the day today - and I want to extend my congratulations to those achieving something similar.
"And to those on a similar path to me, love and strength to you. And to anyone trying to get there… get there, because only good comes out of it and I'm waiting to welcome you. 11 years off the sauce today and I feel great, never better."
In June 2021, White ended his 23-year association with Sky Sports after becoming one of the broadcaster's most recognisable personalities. But during his time with the company, he admitted that his drinking got out of control.
Appearing on the Blethered Podcast in 2020, he said: "I had this ridiculous theory that if ever I got a big story or if I ever got a decent interview I would always celebrate by going on the p***.
"It was not great and I kept on doing that. I came down to London to join Sky and I was still drinking a fair bit. I had people like my then-boss, Andy Melvin, at Sky saying to me 'You're drinking too much.'"
The Scot explained how a conversation with Liverpool legend Souness opened his eyes to his problem, forcing him to confront his demons. He added: "I remember having a conversation with Graeme Souness when we were doing a game together.
"He said 'Listen, just a little word of advice, a little bird's told me you're drinking too much.' He looked at me and said 'If it takes a friend to tell you then hopefully it will make a difference.'
"The short and tall of it was it took me a while to realise I had done a lot of damage to my personal life and relationships within it for which I'm eternally sorry.
"I did it virtually overnight. I decided I wasn't going to have another relationship that was going to be affected by it. I wasn't going to put the next person through it as I had done in the past."
