‘I was a heroin addict for 20 years but there’s no damage’: Shaun Ryder, 58, insists his hedonistic past has not affected his long-term health after alopecia and ADHD diagnosis
- The former Happy Mondays and Black Grape star admitted his heath ‘is not what it used to be’, but said that although ‘crack and meth’ eroded his teeth
- Shaun suffers from alopecia and was diagnosed with ADHD last year
- The musician – who shares two daughters with Joanne and has four other children from previous relationships – kicked his drugs habit during his forties
Shaun Ryder has spoken candidly about his past drug addictions, insisting that his hedonistic past has nothing to do with his current health woes.
The former Happy Mondays and Black Grape star, 58, admitted his heath ‘is not what it used to be’, but said that although ‘crack and meth’ eroded his teeth, his drug use has had no other effects on his health.
Shaun – who suffers from alopecia and was diagnosed with ADHD last year – explained to The Guardian : ‘I was a heroin addict for 20-odd years, but there’s been no damage off that. I’ve never had anything wrong with me until I was 53.’
Candid: Shaun Ryder, 58, has spoken candidly about his past drug addictions, insisting that his hedonistic past has nothing to do with his current health woes (pictured in 2019)
Speaking about his hair loss, Shaun revealed he turned to skin micropigmentation – a cosmetic technique used to replicate the natural look of features such as hair.
Discussing how he had been advised by a doctor to stop using a testosterone gel that he had been prescribed due to an under-active thyroid, Shaun said he started to lose his hair weeks later.
He said: ‘Within a week I had no beard, no hair, no hair on my body.’
In 2020, Shaun was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after two of his daughters were given the same diagnosis.
Health: Shaun said although ‘crack and meth’ eroded his teeth, his drug use has had no other effects on his health (pictured with Black Grape in 1996)
Honest: Shaun revealed he had turned to skin micropigmentation – a cosmetic technique used to replicate the natural look of features such as hair
He told the outlet that this helped him to make sense of the reckless behaviours he displayed in his earlier years.
‘This ADHD thing explains a lot: the impulsive behaviour, the drugs from a young age, not learning the alphabet until I was 28…
‘Education is about remembering stuff and I could never remember anything, so I didn’t get an education.’
Scary: Last year, Shaun revealed he faced a cancer scare during the first lockdown due to a benign growth on his testicle (pictured with Bez in 1989)
WHAT IS ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
It affects around five per cent of children in the US. Some 3.6 per cent of boys and 0.85 per cent of girls suffer in the UK.
Symptoms typically appear at an early age and become more noticeable as a child grows. These can also include:
- Constant fidgeting
- Poor concentration
- Excessive movement or talking
- Acting without thinking
- Little or no sense of danger
- Careless mistakes
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty organising tasks
- Inability to listen or carry out instructions
Most cases are diagnosed between six and 12 years old. Adults can also suffer, but there is less research into this.
ADHD’s exact cause is unclear but is thought to involve genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.
Premature babies and those with epilepsy or brain damage are more at risk.
ADHD is also linked to anxiety, depression, insomnia, Tourette’s and epilepsy.
There is no cure.
A combination of medication and therapy is usually recommended to relieve symptoms and make day-to-day life easier.
Source: NHS Choices
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Most cases are diagnosed between six and 12 years old. Adults can also suffer, but there is less research into this.
ADHD’s exact cause is unclear but is thought to involve genetic mutations that affect a person’s brain function and structure.
The star was famed for his hedonistic lifestyle in the 90s at the peak of the Happy Mondays’ career, but cleaned up his act after meeting his second wife Joanne Ryder.
The musician – who shares two daughters with Joanne and has four other children from previous relationships – kicked his drugs habit during his forties.
Shaun famously lost his teeth after excessive use of crack, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, leading him to spend £25,000 on rebuilding his smile.
He has now been off drugs and alcohol for 12 years and has not had a cigarette in five, after smoking his first aged just 10.
Last year, Shaun revealed he faced a cancer scare during the first lockdown due to a benign growth on his testicle.
The doting father said he thought he could ‘never die’ but the health scare put things in perspective.
He explained to The Sun he was suffering from a strange growth on his testicle, and despite being told it isn’t cancerous, it was causing him discomfort since it was ‘pressing on a nerve’.
Shaun shared at the time: ‘This non-malignant growth in my testicle is pressing on a nerve…
‘It’s like having really bad toothache in your b***s. I can have the growth chucked out but I should’ve gone before lockdown started.’
The cancer scare put things into perspective for Shaun.
He explained: ‘I was one of those dudes who never thought I could die, no matter what. I now think I’m not invincible. It doesn’t worry me about dying…
‘It’s just that because I’ve got young kids, who are now 11 and 12, and I don’t want to go because of them.
‘The other ones have grown up but these two are still young, so it’s like ‘F***ing hell, I can’t go anywhere because of them. That’s what I panic about.’
Shaun has battled several ailments in recent years, including arthritis, alopecia, a thyroid problem and panic attacks, and on top of it all, his whole family were struck by coronavirus last year.
The star was most recently seen on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside former Happy Mondays bandmate and best friend Bez.
Best friends: Shaun was most recently seen on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside former Happy Mondays bandmate and best friend Bez in 2020
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