Coronation Street icon addresses alcoholism struggle 'drinking a bottle of vodka a day'

Curly Watts is simply a instrumentality favourite among hardcore fans of Coronation Street and the histrion Kevin Kennedy opens up connected his alcoholism conflict and a instrumentality to the Cobbles

Actor Kevin Kennedy is champion known for playing bin antheral Curly Watts connected Coronation Street for 20 years and, contempt leaving the cobbles successful 2003, has remained a immense favourite with fans. Making his archetypal quality connected the tiny surface successful the summertime of 1983, Curly tied the knot with Rovers Return barmaid Raquel, played by Sarah Lancashire. But successful his idiosyncratic life, successful the precocious 1990s, Kevin suffered from intoxicant addiction – admitting helium was downing a vessel of vodka a day. With the enactment of the soap’s producers, helium yet sought assistance and began his recovery.

Here, the 63-year-old begetter of 3 opens up astir however he’s managed to enactment sober for 26 years, and wherefore helium dreams of making a instrumentality to the Corrie cobbles…

Hi Kevin! After remaining sober for much than 2 decades, however bash you look backmost connected that acheronian and troubled play of your life?
Back then, I had a benignant of madness astir me. It was ever going to hap astatine immoderate constituent successful my life. I didn’t go an alcoholic due to the fact that of fame oregon the pressures of being successful a soap. Alcohol addiction is simply a intelligence obsession. Even though I person been sober for years, I inactive request to look backmost connected those acheronian times erstwhile I was drinking a vessel of vodka a time and moving connected Corrie . I upset my household and my friends, but I ever person to retrieve wherever I person travel from – purely for the elemental crushed I don’t ever privation to spell backmost there.

We tin recognize that…
What I bash retrieve was the translation I went through. How I came backmost to Corrie a changed antheral aft rehab. I stay precise arrogant of that. I ne'er thought I could bash it. I was acrophobic I would crook backmost to the bottle. When I yet near Corrie successful 2003, I wasn’t sad, I abruptly had the spot to bash thing I wanted. I felt healed. The information is, addiction gets a batch of publicity; yet betterment doesn’t. There is simply a batch of shame that surrounds betterment – and determination shouldn’t be. If you tin find the spot to enactment down that bottle, thing is possible. I lone anticipation radical with akin problems to maine truly judge that… I had religion due to the fact that from the ashes I roseate similar a phoenix – and present I person 2 beauteous daughters who I adore.

They indispensable beryllium arrogant of you!
My daughters are precise arrogant of my journey. The comic happening is, erstwhile my kids were precise young, they believed I knew everyone successful the world – simply due to the fact that everyone stopped successful the thoroughfare to accidental hullo to me.

Your archetypal emotion was music, and you were adjacent signed by Simon Cowell, going connected to grounds a gold-selling medium successful 2002. Tell america much astir that broadside of your life…

I was caller retired of rehab and determined to marque much of my life. So, I sent Simon a demo nether a antithetic sanction due to the fact that I didn’t privation him to cognize it was maine – arsenic I was inactive successful Coronation Street . But arsenic soon arsenic helium saw me, helium knew he’d been had – helium conscionable laughed. This was good earlier helium was known arsenic ‘God’ and earlier The X Factor . He loved the opus [ Bulldog Nation ] and the azygous did truly well, past I made an medium which was awarded a golden disc. Music has ever been a immense portion of my beingness – and inactive is. Simon was the archetypal idiosyncratic to assistance maine realise my dream.

As a youngster successful Manchester, you became pals with guitarist Johnny Marr anterior to him forming The Smiths alongside vocalist Morrissey…
I archetypal met Johnny erstwhile we were some plucky 14-year-olds successful Manchester. We were 2 kids from a assembly property who were someway drawn to each other. I retrieve sitting successful his chamber watching him play guitar. It was a unusual feeling due to the fact that I had this premonition helium was going to spell connected and go idiosyncratic famous. Then of people helium aboriginal formed The Smiths with Morrissey – and the rest, arsenic they say, is history.

How did the relation of Norman ‘Curly’ Watts travel about?
I was a jobbing histrion earlier Coronation Street . But Granada TV kept pestering maine to audition truthful I retrieve getting the bid up from London to Manchester connected the Saturday to audition. They told maine connected the spot I had got the portion of Curly Watts, and I started filming the pursuing Monday successful the Rovers Return – I couldn’t judge however rapidly it each happened. I had to determination backmost location to my mum’s due to the fact that her location was conscionable astir the country from the studios.

How did you header with abrupt fame and being recognised connected the street?

Sadly, I had my ain problems by then, with the drinking. But the portion had thing to bash with the unit of the occupation – it would person happened anyway. The fame spot was a caller acquisition for me, but we each got done it unneurotic – each the cast. It wasn’t conscionable maine who was stopped connected the thoroughfare – everyone successful the amusement had the aforesaid experience. Coronation Street backmost past was watched by implicit 20
cardinal people, truthful successful a mode it
bonded america forever. I inactive talk to Sarah and galore others from the cast. It’s a clip successful my beingness I
volition ne'er forget.

What was your absorption to the caller quality that Helen Worth, who has played Gail Platt for 50 years, is to permission the soap?

Helen has been specified an astonishing staple of Corrie – everyone adores her – and she is specified a beauteous lady. She was ever precise adjuvant to the younger formed members, including me. She would instrumentality maine to 1 broadside and springiness maine proposal arsenic to however champion to play a scene. She is an angel. Someone you would crook to for help. I adored her. She is simply a Corrie fable and specified a large actress. Now she has decided capable is capable and wants to beryllium with her family. She deserves a rest. I volition ne'er hide her.

So, would you spell backmost to Coronation Street if you were asked?

Of people I would. I would leap astatine the chance. I americium inactive a jobbing actor. I deliberation it would beryllium a precise absorbing happening to spell back. Nostalgia is large astatine the infinitesimal due to the fact that determination is thing much definite past the past. I deliberation determination are galore viewers who would privation to spot Curly travel home. I deliberation astir it each day.

You are astir to instrumentality to your archetypal emotion of euphony by starring successful a caller philharmonic called Pretty Vacant – which tells the communicative of the detonation of punk music. Tell america astir it…

I perfectly loved the full punk euphony gyration successful the 1970s. It changed euphony and I person truthful galore fond memories of that full astonishing play successful history. I deliberation a batch of radical of a definite property volition emotion this show. It’s fun, and proves conscionable however important the punk question was successful the UK.

For much accusation and tickets for Pretty Vacant, spot prettyvacantshow.com