Coogan: 'Fatherhood helped to sort me out'

Rex Features

Steve Coogan has admitted that he regrets his "period of reckless hedonism".

The comedian revealed that he was so ambitious growing up that he did not have the unadulterated fun one has during that time.

He told The Mail On Sunday: "I postponed it. Then when I had it, I had both fame and money. That was a terrible idea.

"I went to rehab in America because I was going off the rails a bit. And I did once see a priest, but religion wasn't discussed in any of the sessions - he was more of a highly qualified psychotherapist. There was this idea that I was addicted to sex, because it's a sexy headline. But the truth was much more complicated. It was to do with fame - how I was dealing with success.

"And when it comes to alcohol... some people can drink but I can't. It turns me into someone else. I don't fall off the wagon. I crash into a brick wall."

Coogan claims that being a father has made him more "sensible".

He said: "I get a thrill out of fatherhood."