Gary Oldman got sober when he realised he would “die” as a result of his drinking.

The 65-year-old ‘Slow Horses’ actor – who gave up booze more than 25 years ago – admitted he used to “get upset” his career would hinder his time hitting the bottle and used to prioritise his habit over everything else in his life.

He confessed to Candis magazine: “Even though my father left when I was very young, I still had that blueprint.

“I hadn’t had his influence since I was seven, yet I was still doing all that stuff as if I’d had him there all along.

“I was drinking two bottles of vodka a day and you get to a point where you put the drink before all else.

“So here was the drink in front and there was my family, my kids, and my work following behind.

“I used to get upset that my working as an actor was getting in the way of my drinking.

“I was going to die and when you get to that point you have to choose. No one can do it for you.

“You have to help you and you have to get to a point where you can say, ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.’

“It’s about changing thought patterns – you have to realise that your thinking is upside down and you have to start again.

“It took me a long time, but you have to do it.”

The actor – who is married to fifth wife Gisele Schmidt and has three sons from two of his previous marriages – is now more content with his life now than ever before.

He added: “I’ve realised the older I get, the less I know. And I take comfort in that.”