Kit Harington has spoken out about one of the important lessons he learnt during his recovery from his alcohol struggles in a new interview.

The Game Of Thrones star, who checked himself into a mental health and wellness facility in May 2019 following the end of the hit show, told The Sunday Times that getting sober had taught him an important lesson about his ability to change.

“You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person,” he explained of his experience. “And you feel like there’s no way out – that’s just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, ‘No, I can change’.” 

Harington, who is currently starring in the second season of Amazon Prime’s Modern Love, said that realising he could make such a big change in his life helped him to get through the process.  

“One of my favourite things I learnt recently is that the expression ‘a leopard doesn’t change its spots’ is completely false: that a leopard actually does change its spots,” Harington explained.

“I just think that’s the most beautiful thing. It really helped. That was something I kind of clung to: the idea that I could make this huge fundamental change in who I was and how I went about my life.” 

Going on to reflect on how dark things had gotten for him (“I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things”), Harington said that, while he didn’t want praise for speaking about his journey, he hoped that opening up about his experiences could “maybe help someone, somewhere”.

He explained: “I definitely don’t want to be seen as a martyr or special. I’ve been through something, it’s my stuff. If it helps someone, that’s good.”

Harington’s comments come just days after he opened up about the toll starring on Game Of Thrones had had on him and his mental health.

“I went through some mental health difficulties after Thrones, and during the end of Thrones, to be honest,” he told Sirius XM’s The Jess Cagle Show. “I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show and what I had been doing for years.” 

Harington continued: “I took a break after Thrones where I was like, ‘I don’t really want to work for a year, I want to concentrate on myself’. I’m really happy I did that.” 

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health, you can find support and resources on the mental health charity Mind’s website, NHS Every Mind Matters, and the NHS’ list of mental health helplines and organisations.

Additionally, you can ask your GP for a referral to NHS Talking Therapies, or you can self-refer.

For confidential support, you can also call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. 

Images: Getty/Amazon Prime