The ‘Angels and Demons’ star – who gave up alcohol in 2000 – embarked on a healthier way of living after realising his smoking and drinking had spiralled out of control.
He said: “I wasn’t someone who could smoke or drink in moderation, and I recognised that those things would kill me. I started visualising the doctor telling me I had cancer from smoking or that I was extremely ill because of how much I’d been drinking.”
The 38-year-old actor – who raises three daughters with his wife Eva Mavrakis – realised he needed to clean up his act once he became a father.
Ewan explained to Men’s Health magazine: “What kind of regret would I have had to tell my children or my wife that I was dying because of something I could have done something about? I didn’t want to be that kind of man."
“What matters most with any regiment, whether it’s to lose weight or stop drinking or smoking, is your willingness to seek help and your desire to say no more. The voice in your head that says ‘I chose not to’ is what ultimately makes the difference between not changing and making changes that last,” he added.
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