‘Game of Thrones’ Star Kit Harington Opens up About Suicidal Thoughts and Substance Abuse Issues

It’s no secret that actor Kit Harington struggled with his mental health when Game of Thrones ended, but he just shared new details about the topic in an interview with GQ. The actor said that when he entered rehab in 2019, the series finale hadn’t aired yet and the backlash hadn’t begun. He joked: “I went in and everyone loved Thrones; I came out and everyone hated it. I thought, ‘What the f- is going on?’”

Harington went into a rehabilitation program in the U.S. in 2019, seeking help with alcoholism and his general mental health. He confirmed that he still abstains from alcohol to this day, added: “I was so lucky I got sober before having kids.” He said that at one time, it felt “physically and emotionally impossible for me not to drink again,” but the combination of treatment with the demands of parenthood now have him feeling more stable.

“Before getting sober, I would stare in the mirror and call myself a c-,” Harington said bluntly. “I’d hate myself. I would literally despise myself and not be proud of anything I’d done. I couldn’t be proud. So the fact that I am proud of getting sober is in and of itself a mark of being an entirely different person.”

Harington acknowledged that the work never ends when it comes to sobriety. He said: “Look, I can’t tell what the future brings. I might have one massive, messy, chaotic relapse. And I hope that doesn’t happen. But I think I protect myself by talking about it.”

Harington is not the most outspoken celebrity, but he has made a point of discussing his mental health in recent years. In a 2021 interview with The Independent, he was asked if he had ever experienced suicidal thoughts. He said: “I will give you an answer to that question: the answer is yes. Yes of course. I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things.”

In this week’s new interview, Harington credited his two children for helping him maintain his own mental health and sobriety, with a self-effacing twist. He said: “I think, at heart – and I say this with love for myself – I’m quite self-centered. I think I’m a generous person and a loving person [too]. But with kids, you just don’t get to be self-centered. They strip you of it. And that’s an amazing gift. [Kids] are ultimately completely self-centered. They don’t think about anyone else but themselves. So your self-centeredness just has to park itself. And I think it’s the great thing about parenting. At the heart of it, it’s the most selfless thing you can do.”