Marian Keyes has thanked RTÉ viewers for their “incredible loveliness” following her appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show.
The best-selling author bravely opened up about her struggles with alcohol on the popular show, and was hailed a “national treasure” by viewers.
The Limerick native explained: “When I left Ireland in 1986, I was on the dole. The wheels were coming off in my final year in school, and I was very angry. In college I drank so much. It was all about alcohol.”
“I was 14 when I started drinking. There’s compassion for myself because I hadn’t a clue to be in the world or manage my feelings or relationships.”
🌟The first guest up tonight on the #TommyTiernanShow is writer @MarianKeyes 🌟@Tommedian pic.twitter.com/zE99SBh8J9
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) February 13, 2021
“I was just lost. When I started drinking I thought this is it, this is what’s going to help me get through the world and be normal. I had found my crutch. It was a huge relief.”
“It stayed the most important relationship until I had no choice to stop. I cried rather than starting fights when I was drunk, and I drank alone. I was a pain of a drunk. The thing that I waned, was oblivion.”
Tommy revealed to the Irish writer that his mother “drank herself to suicide”.
Marian admitted: “I just couldn’t bear being me. The more I drank, the worse I felt, so the more I drank. The world looked ugly the whole time.”
"It stayed the most important relationship of my life, until I had no choice but to stop"@MarianKeyes speaks to @Tommedian about her past relationship with alcohol#TommyTiernanShow @RTEPlayer pic.twitter.com/1pbnxWbbMQ
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) February 13, 2021
Speaking about her sobriety, Marian said: “I stopped, and suddenly the world was full of colour and loveliness.”
“Life got lovely really fast. I’m aware at how ridiculously lucky I’ve been,” she added.
Taking to Twitter after being inundated with high praise on Twitter, Marian wrote: “Ah LADS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for all your incredible loveliness, I had the very BEST of times having the chats with the beautiful human being that is @Tommedian.”
“I felt we could have talked forever. A heartfelt go raibh míle MÍLE maith agaibh #tommytiernanshow.”
Ah LADS ❤❤❤❤❤ Thank you for all your incredible loveliness, I had the very BEST of times having the chats with the beautiful human being that is @Tommedian, I felt we could have talked forever. A heartfelt go raibh míle MÍLE maith agaibh #tommytiernanshow
— MarianKeyes has written a sequel to Rachels Holida (@MarianKeyes) February 13, 2021