Elle Macpherson hasn’t held back in her brand new book, Elle: Life, Lessons & Learning to Trust Yourself, which was released on Tuesday, November 19th.
In the candid memoir, the 60-year-old Australian supermodel opened up about a number of different things, including her “horrible” past relationship with alcohol. She went to rehab in 2003, and celebrated 20 years of sobriety last year.
Elle Macpherson Recalls Being Tempted By A Bottle Of Champagne After Giving Birth To Her Second Child
In her candid memoir, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover star referenced a period in her life when things seemingly looked perfect to outsiders, but it was a totally different story behind closed doors.
"My life looked amazing to everybody. On the outside I was doing a beautiful job but, deep down inside, I was really struggling," the model and style icon wrote, before going on to talk about feeling the temptation to drink a bottle of champagne after her son Cy – who she shares with former partner Arpad 'Arki' Busson – was born in 2003.
Elle recalled how her naturopaths advised her against drinking the champagne she was gifted following the birth because her hormones would "be all over the place," but she didn't want to take their advice. "All I could think about was that bottle of champagne in the ice bucket," she confessed.
Elle Macpherson Says She Used Alcohol As A Coping Mechanism For Her Anxiety
The ageless model spoke about experiencing a lot of anxiety when their first child – a son named Flynn who was born in 1998 – was "very sick and was in and out of the hospital," which wasn't helped by the French financier having to travel regularly for work. "In the evenings, after I put him to bed, I'd find myself relaxing with a vodka," she confessed, adding that she was in a "horrible downward spiral" trying to balance her relationship, motherhood, and her career.
"Often I would drink after I put my children to bed. I would sit down by myself and have shots of vodka and then I'd write to-do lists and letters to my family," she recalled, adding: "I would do the housework, listen to music until around 11 p.m., then go to bed and pass out."
"I would get up in the morning, run six miles and have a coffee for breakfast," she continued. "I would stick my fingers down my throat and make sure I vomited three times before I went to sleep. It was always three times."
"I was really proud of that," she continued, in reference to how she managed to hide her alcohol addiction for as long as she did. "I guess I had to be organized because I was drinking and I never wanted anyone to know. So I made sure the house was clean and tidy; I made sure I looked great and I made sure the children were perfect."
The mom-of-two, who returned to the runway after 14 years earlier this year, also detailed the several times she considered going to rehab, including after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She wrote that she was supposed to take part in the closing ceremony, but had "drunk enough champagne or vodka to calm my nerves that it had disoriented me."
Before eventually going to rehab, the model, who is referred to as 'The Body' for obvious reasons, explained how she wanted to go on vacation to Ibiza first. While she allegedly behaved the first few weeks, she then recalled being so tempted by alcohol when she wasn't able to join Akri and their friends in a trendy club.
After putting the children to bed, she decided to open a bottle of vodka. However, she reportedly struggled to get it open, and then smashed off the glass top. "I hurriedly poured myself a shot that could have been littered with shards of glass. And I drank it," she confessed. "I remember thinking, I love this feeling. I'd missed it, sooooo much."
Elle Macpherson Celebrated 20 Years Of Sobriety In 2023
As we previously mentioned, the model has been sober for over 20 years now. Macpherson previously stated that she's "never regretted" quitting alcohol, but has also claimed that she doesn't preach sobriety to others because she is "not interested in telling other people what to do" with their lives.
"I stopped drinking in 2003 because I felt I couldn't be fully present in my life, and it was a wonderful springboard of getting to know myself on a deeper level," she told Body and Soul last year.
She added at the time: "Although it required discipline and persistence, the bottom line is you can't be well and present in your life if you're not present and well, and alcohol doesn't really support that. It's very difficult to get to know yourself if you're numbing yourself."
