Jason Donovan has never been one to shy away from the truth, and now the TV and pop icon is opening up about one of the darkest chapters of his life.
The former Neighbours star has admitted that at the height of his fame, he was consuming shocking amounts of drugs, revealing he would go on cocaine binges lasting up to six days. Speaking candidly on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, the 57-year-old reflected on the excesses of the 1990s and how close he came to completely derailing his life.
During the conversation, the conversation turned to Jason’s life at the peak of his celebrity status, when he was juggling chart success, acting roles and constant public attention. Rather than sugar-coating his past, Jason was brutally honest about why he took drugs in the first place.
‘I got vilified in the 90s for announcing on a news show once that, “why did I take drugs?” because I liked them, which was the truth at the time,’ he admitted.
Host Jamie Laing pushed further, recalling the headline-grabbing admission Jason once made about the scale of his drug use.
‘You said this, at that period of your life, you were consuming three grams of cocaine a day,’ Jamie said.
‘You had the freedom and ability to do it. You meet your wife and your kid is born, what is that moment that you go, “I’m not doing this”.’
Jason was keen to clarify what that level of use really looked like, explaining that while it was extreme, it came in destructive bursts rather than constant dependency.
‘Sure, there were days, weekends that would begin on Thursday and sometimes not end until the following Tuesday or whatever,’ he explained.
‘But it was a binge, it wasn’t a heroin type situation that was consistent. Your body has to shut down, particularly with something like cocaine, at some point.’
Despite the chaos of his personal life, Jason insisted he never completely stopped working, something he believes allowed him to keep functioning for longer than he should have.
‘I will also argue that I kept working a lot, so work enabled me to switch off.’
Jamie questioned how he managed to balance intense drug binges with a demanding career, prompting another frank response.
‘I just did, I could just do that,’ Jason admitted.
‘I’m quite disciplined, I’m a bit of an all-or-nothing kind of guy. I also kept very fit, I have done all my life, and that’s the little thing that knocks on your door.’
Jason went on to describe the vicious cycle that kept pulling him back in, even when he could feel how much better life was without drugs.
‘Just go to the gym, have a steam, have a swim, walk out, you’ve done your big three-day or something, and you walk out, and you feel great, and you go, “see Jason, that’s what you can feel like if you don’t get back on it again.”
‘Now you feel great for two days, and then that little demon in your head would come along and go, “come on, let’s do a cheeky one, let’s blow it all up again”. That was the problem.’
Eventually, the lifestyle lost its appeal altogether. Jason admitted that paranoia and exhaustion crept in, making the highs no longer worth the cost.
‘The paranoia, particularly with cocaine, starts to set in, 24 hours in, you think the MI5 are outside your window,’ he said.
Looking back now, Jason says he’s grateful he recognised the warning signs in time.
‘The good news is that I now know what I don’t want to do and haven’t done for 20 years.’
He credits a combination of timing, maturity and love for helping him finally walk away from the chaos.
‘The catalyst of change was meeting my wife. She didn’t change me, but that time changed me. The birth of Jemma, the realisation that I could get out now.
‘I was still in my 30s, enough time for the body to repair. There was enough time to get back time, I hadn’t blown out.’
Jason met his wife, Angela Malloch, in 1998 when she was working as a stage manager on one of his musicals. Their relationship soon became serious, with Angela giving him a clear ultimatum: the party lifestyle had to end. Jason chose family. The couple married in 2008 and went on to welcome children Jemma, Zac and Molly.
Now firmly focused on the future, Jason is enjoying a career renaissance, with live touring at the heart of it. Speaking previously to Metro, he opened up about his upcoming shows and why performing still means so much to him.
‘My tour came about because I’m celebrating 30, 35 years touring live,’ he said. ‘I did a tour this year called Doin’ Fine, and we did 33 dates. Those dates went really well… so we’re doing 14, and it’s called Doin’ Fine Encore.’
Describing the show, Jason added: ‘It’s quite a personal show, this one… I really believe comprehensively that this show is my best show.’
Reflecting on his long career, he said: ‘I’m very fortunate to still be able to reach an audience and give people a good night out.’
Despite the fame, Jason remains grounded about his legacy, acknowledging the nostalgia tied to his music and soap roles.
‘A lot of what I do has an element of nostalgia to it,’ he explained. ‘I hope I deliver authenticity, good value for money and a good night out and escapism.’
With a Christmas appearance in Emmerdale, more theatre work on the horizon and a major tour planned for 2026, Jason’s life today couldn’t be more different from the one he nearly destroyed.
