Kit Harington reveals having suicidal thoughts during his addiction struggles

British actor Kit Harington opened up about his mental health and detailed his struggles with alcohol addiction and how he overcame some personal issues before he embraced fatherhood.

The Game of Thrones famed actor, 34, recently revealed that he "went through some pretty horrible stuff" after the HBO hit show ended in 2019. "Things that have happened to me since Thrones ended, and that were happening during Thrones, were of a pretty traumatic nature and they did include alcohol."

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Harington shared that, "You get to a place where you feel like you are a bad person, you feel like you are a shameful person. And you feel that there's no way out, that's just who you are. And getting sober is the process of going, 'No, I can change.'"

He continued, "One of my favorite 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. 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."

He previously checked into the Privé-Swiss rehab back in May 2019, noting that he was treated for "mainly alcohol" during his stay. Harington, who last year welcomed a baby boy with his wife, former GoT co-star Rose Leslie, also talked about the stress that his addictions caused in his marriage.

"I kept them very, very quiet and I was incredibly secretive and incredibly locked up with them. So they came as quite a surprise to the people around me," he said. While he is hopeful that opening up will help other people in his shoes, he also doesn't want to be put on a pedestal for his struggles.

Harington also experienced suicidal thoughts and share, "yes of course. I went through periods of real depression where I wanted to do all sorts of things," he explained, adding that he hoped being open about it would "maybe help someone, somewhere. But 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."

The Eternals star will next appear in an episode of the new season of Modern Love, releasing on Amazon Prime on Aug. 13.