EXCLUSIVE: Controversial comedian Dapper Laughs, real name Daniel O’Reilly, is getting ready to return to the spotlight as he marks 1,000 days sober and credits his late friend Paul Danan
Comedian Dapper Laughs retreated from the limelight after being cancelled over a shocking rape ‘joke’ 11 years ago as he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. He lost his lucrative ITV show as a result and became the subject of a petition from his fellow comedians.
What many people didn’t know at the time was that the star, real name Daniel O’Reilly, was suffering another battle of his own as well as losing his public reputation. Daniel was locked in the grips of addiction, spending much of the last 20 years “either drunk or hungover.”
He saw his weekends get taken over with drink sessions, to a point he spent them lying on the sofa “in a mess.” The comedian attempted to give it all up many times, reaching three or four months sober at a time, yet he still gave in.
Daniel is now celebrating 1,000 days sober and has credited his late friend Paul Danan with being a guiding force along the road to sobriety. The former Hollyoaks actor died aged 46 on January 15 this year and was found unresponsive alone at his home in Bristol.
Paul’s tragic death was caused by misadventure, after he took a cocktail of drugs including cocaine and heroin, a coroner ruled. “It’s really very sad because Paul was one of the first people to tell me that I had a problem with alcohol and drugs even before my family and friends,” Daniel told the Mirror.
“Paul was the first person to use the word addict and to call me an addict and it really was uncomfortable.” The pair worked together on a West End play, and Daniel admitted they went through a “really weird stage” as he was drinking and using drugs at the time.
He admitted: “It felt really horrible because of the conversations that I’d had with Paul. I went through a stage of ringing him when I was drunk or when I was high and talking to him about how I felt.
“He was helping me see the light in regards to sobriety but I never really managed to get sober around that time.” It was when Daniel paid Paul a visit at rehab facility The Priory that it hit him.
“He loved everything to do with sobriety,” Daniel explained. “To lose him, it was a massive wake up call for me and it broke my heart.” Paul was aware Daniel had managed to get sober before his death, and even supported him through a tough first year.
Daniel confessed: “He helped me on that journey. I’m not sure that I would have taken sobriety as seriously as I did at the beginning, if it wasn’t for him.”
The former Celebrity Big Brother star revealed the harrowing moment he realised he was an addict came on a trip to Marbella shortly after his wedding to wife Shelley in 2022. She asked if he wouldn’t drink or do drugs while there, which he promised her.
Yet, he couldn’t keep to his word. “As soon as I landed, I started drinking and then I ended up doing drugs and she broke up with me. We were just shortly married, only a matter of months married.
“She broke with me and flew home and I stayed there for days drinking and doing drugs. That’s when I knew because I couldn’t stop.” He explained: “Suddenly I just stopped a couple days later and I was like ‘what the hell is going on look at what you’ve done’.
“That’s when I knew I can’t control this I have to completely get rid of it in my life.” Looking back now sober, Daniel admitted he has a lot of shame and regret from his past, which at one time made him feel suicidal.
He decided to make the decision to go sober once and for all, and take his followers along the way. It meant he felt accountable to stick to his promise and worked on building his own mental resilience.
“It’s just about re-wiring you brain into doing things you don’t want to do and the key to it was the psychology behind it learning what my triggers were and realising that they were just thoughts,” he shared.
As well as reaching a milestone 1,000 days sober, Daniel is also ready to return to the spotlight. He confessed it feels like the “right time” to get his career back on track.
“There was part of me that refused to sort of accept that I’d done wrong or pushed the line,” he reflected. “But part of sobriety is all about accountability and looking back on that stuff you did wrong and seeing how far you’ve come from it and how you’ve changed.
“I’ve matured, I’ve got three daughters now, my comedy’s changed and I needed to spend that time in cancellation and to get so far to deserve another crack at it.”
Daniel is now turning his attention on supporting other people going through addiction, especially men. This week, he is set to launch his own charity Men And Their Emotions (M.A.T.E) and is performing a special comeback show to raise money for vital support to men who urgently need help.
He will be joined by fellow comedians Simon Brodkin, Tom Davis, Tom Ward and Daryl Robinson as he makes his return to the stage.
Stand-Up Comedy for M.A.T.E.s, on July 18th at indigo at The O2. Tickets available here.
If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email [email protected], message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
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