How McFly star Harry Judd grew closer to his mum after opening up about his addiction to her on Race Across The World
THE dark side of fame led McFly drummer Harry Judd to a drink and drug addiction, and opened a chasm between him and his mum.
Now 20 years after Harry hit the big time, gentle TV show Race Across The World is the unlikely glue that has bound him and his mother Emma together again.
And the pair are closer than ever.
During their 10,000km (6,200mile) voyage from Marrakech, Morocco, to Tromso, Norway, viewers have seen their relationship bloom, with Harry eventually opening up for the first time to Emma about his addiction.
In an exclusive chat, dad-of-three Harry, 37, said: “We have never spoken about it before, but it was an important conversation to have.
“It did feel kind of exposing because it wasn’t a conversation I was intending to have with my mum but that’s the beauty of the show, you have so much time together and you kind of forget the camera is there.
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“You always carry a bit of shame when you talk about having a problem with drugs. It’s a hard word even saying out loud.
“For me personally the stigma is the shame and embarrassment of getting yourself into that situation.
“But you realise you have to step past that and realise it is just a part of the highs and lows of life, and learning from your mistakes and moving on.
“But afterwards I did think, ‘Oh my god that’s going on TV’.”
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Harry initially told of his addiction to marijuana in his 2017 autobiography, admitting he first tried the drug while at posh boarding school Up- pingham in Rutland.
He joined McFly when he was just 17, and two years later realised he had become “dependent on skunk” and was smoking six joints a day.
Despite sharing the stark details in his self-help tome Get Fit, Get Happy, Harry had never addressed his addiction head on with his mum.
That is, until the pair began to discuss his addictive personality while on an eight-hour train ride through Hungary as part of their Race Across The World adventure.
In the episode, Harry explained: “At the time, I never told you. I think because I didn’t want to disappoint you and also, I didn’t want to hurt you.
“And I still feel like that, you never want to hurt your mum, you never want to let your mum down.”
A tearful Emma, 63, replied: “Well bless you darling, you never will let me down. And I hope you know I’ll always be there for you, and I’ll always love you, no matter what.”
Reflecting on the moment now, Harry thinks the depth of his descent into addiction is ultimately what saved him.
He said: “You feel ashamed but it is a reality and it is something I learned a lot from and it shaped my life.
“I was lucky in a way that I had such a bad experience with drugs because it made me completely give them up and then give up drink, which has had a really positive outcome.
“I don’t think I’ll ever drink again. It isn’t conducive to me, my mental health or my life. I haven’t drunk since 2012.
“I stopped drinking because the after-effects were causing me bad anxiety.”
Celebrity Race Across The World followed the success of three series featuring members of the public.
Four stars each teamed up with a family member to make the epic journey without using phones or planes and with just a small amount of cash.
Tonight will see the culmination of the challenge, with Harry and Emma up against TV weatherman Alex Beresford and his dad Noel, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and her mum Helene plus racing driver Billy Monger and his sister Bonny.
Viewers have especially loved the sweet relationship between Harry and Emma, who cross-stitched together to while away the hours on trains.
Harry said: “The biggest take home [of the show] for me was realising just how amazing my mum is.
“Doing this together has reminded me just how lucky I am to have this incredible woman as my mum. It has made us closer.
“For the first 17 years I was a bit of a mummy’s boy. I was her baby and we were very close. Then I got in the band and just went off and flew the nest.”
Harry joined pop-rock four-piece McFly in 2003 with Tom Fletcher, 38, Danny Jones, 37, and Dougie Poynter, 35.
They burst on to the music scene with their No1 single 5 Colours In Her Hair and have released seven studio albums.
And the band are still touring — yesterday embarking on a UK-wide jaunt.
His former hedonistic lifestyle now feels a world away for Harry, who has three children — daughter Lola, seven, and sons Kit, six, and Lockie, two.
He said: “I can be a bit obsessive and quite controlling. I don’t think I will ever completely lose that because it’s in my DNA, but I think people would say I am definitely getting better with it.
“I’m happy, my wife doesn’t drink and I have three young kids.
“I will be very honest and open with my kids, obviously, at the right time and place when they will be able to compute that.
"I don’t want to ever be preachy. They have got to learn their own lessons in life.
“We are very lucky to still be doing McFly, we still have so much fun.
“I know we will be on stage as 75-year-old granddads, with aches and pains and laughing to each other about how we are still here performing.
“We will still be playing all the old songs. Probably a lot slower, struggling with arthritis, having to read the lyrics but still loving it.”
As part of McFly, Harry is used to time away from violinist wife Izzy Johnston, 39, and their kids.
But reuniting after filming Race Across The World for four weeks — without his mobile to stay in touch — hit differently.
He said with a laugh: “It was like my own Love Actually airport moment! It was super cheesy but amazing. I have never been so excited to see them. You can’t communicate with your family and I missed them so much. I thought about Izzy the whole time.”
Viewers can see where Harry and Emma finish in the mammoth race when the final airs tonight.
But for Harry, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 with pro-partner Aliona Vilani, the real triumph has been his new relationship with his mum — who is a fan favourite.
Harry added: “Everyone seems to love my mum, which is hilarious. All my family think it’s very funny that my mum is having her 15 minutes of fame.
“She’s on holiday with my dad now and she keeps messaging to say she is getting recognised by the public.
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“I’ll be the one taking pictures of her with fans next. I’m perfectly happy to take a back seat and let my mum steal the show.”
- Celebrity Race Across The World concludes tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
