Trinny Woodall ‘felt relieved to be alive’ following rehab stint for drug addiction after tragically losing six friends in her first year of recovery

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Trinny Woodall has spoken about her experience with drug addiction and getting help, sharing that she sadly lost six friends during her first year of recovery.

At age 16, after switching from boarding school to a day school in London, the 61-year-old fashion and beauty expert started using drugs and alcohol. This followed a period of low self-esteem and ongoing struggles with acne.

She struggled with rehab in her early twenties, but at 26, she found a program that worked. She’s been sober for more than 30 years as a result.

Despite making progress with her treatment and recovery, Trinny experienced a difficult first year as she sadly lost several friends.

She shared her story of overcoming a tough experience in an interview with Women’s Health UK, expressing how thankful she was to still be alive.

She shared that she was grateful to be alive, especially after losing six friends during her first year of recovery. It wasn’t a feeling of being caught off guard, but rather a realization that she’d been given another opportunity.

Trinny, famous for the show What Not to Wear with Susannah Constantine, said she isn’t bothered by criticism of her past. She believes those difficult experiences actually helped her become who she is now.

Looking back on things is tough, and I’m not sure if people were critical of me, but honestly, it doesn’t bother me. I think going through those experiences actually helped me become who I am today. We really only grow and learn when we face challenges – things are too easy when everything is going smoothly.

The businesswoman shared that losing friends was a major driving force in maintaining her sobriety when she first started getting better.

She shared with The Times that four of her dearest friends tragically died from overdoses within eighteen months after she herself stopped using drugs. While many factors kept her from relapsing, this loss was a particularly powerful deterrent early in her recovery.

In a 2023 interview on Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO podcast, Trinny shared the heartbreaking story of how several of her friends unexpectedly passed away after agreeing to seek treatment at rehab together.

I remember having three close friends, and we were all struggling at the time. One night, I suggested we make a promise to go to rehab together the next day. Two of my friends had been to rehab before, but one hadn’t.

The next morning, that uneasy feeling was still with me – which is unusual for me – so I immediately called a therapist I knew. I explained I really needed to go, but I only had a couple of hours before I worried I’d lose my nerve.

‘So he got me in somewhere, and I stayed for five months, and I sold what I had to pay for it.’

She described a difficult period, including a tragic death. Afterwards, she spent seven months in a recovery home in Weston-super-Mare, living on a very limited budget of about £8 to £10 a week – just enough for necessities like cigarettes. To support herself, she worked at a nursing home.

Returning to London, I had changed significantly. Then, over the next three years, I lost all of my close friends – one passed away in the first year, and the others followed in the subsequent two.

Despite appearing successful in her twenties, Trinny revealed that she struggled with an addiction rooted in low self-esteem.

Everyone goes through experiences that shape their personality. For me, during my late teens and early twenties, I struggled with unhappiness and a lack of self-identity, and unfortunately, I turned to drugs as a way to cope.

People sometimes use drugs when they’re struggling with their identity and self-esteem. I personally struggled with a lack of confidence, and that’s something I can relate to.

She got sober in her late twenties after several stints in rehab, a time she said led to major positive changes in her life and career.

Getting sober in my late twenties was a turning point in my life. I felt such a weight lifted once my twenties were behind me, and it was the first time I really started figuring out who I was as a person.

The television stylist also shared that her initial attempt at rehab was cut short when she was discovered watching pornography with fellow patients.

She said the live-in treatment program was a difficult first experience with therapy, because it involved a lot of direct and challenging conversations. She described it as a place that made people feel very ashamed.

She told Steven that the experience started off amusing, but ultimately turned out badly. The rehab facility was awful and deeply humiliating – it wouldn’t be allowed to operate today. They clearly didn’t know how to handle things properly.

The experience really puts you in a situation where you’re suddenly with strangers and sharing personal details. It was common back then to essentially write out your autobiography as part of it.

Rehab facilities in the UK used to have a really intense practice where a group of about twenty people would openly criticize and evaluate your past struggles. It seems harsh now, but that was essentially how they helped people get better at the time.

The reason I mentioned the adult film was because we were all having a really good time and thought it would be funny, but it went wrong and I ended up getting kicked out.

You can find the complete interview with Trinny Woodall in the December issue of Women’s Health UK, which is available now.

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2025-11-18 12:51