Spencer Matthews and model wife Vogue Williams at Winter Wonderland (Image: Getty)
TV star Spencer Matthews has opened up about his recovery from addiction and says he’s now “hooked on success”.
The Made In Chelsea personality, whose older brother James Matthews is married to Princess Kate’s sister Pippa, became a world record holder last year after completing an incredible 30 marathons in 30 days.
He now works as one of the , in a role which sees him helping others to reach their goals.
In an exclusive interview with the , Spencer said: “It’s impossible to grow, in my opinion, unless you suffer and learn. That’s part of the reason I’m attracted to ultra-marathons because the feeling of pushing the boundaries of what feels normal is really exciting, and it makes me feel very alive. And secondly, that ultimate feeling of success is really addictive.
“I have an addictive personality. I’d much prefer to be addicted to success, pushing myself, driving myself forward, change, growth, than alcohol, drugs, or whatever else it may be.
Spencer Matthews at the wedding of his brother James and Pippa Middleton (Image: Getty)
“I get people sometimes that say to me, and they mean it in an insulting way, ‘you’ve just replaced one addiction with another’ and that is absolutely right. My advice to all addicts, is if you’re able to, put down the bottle and pick up a pair of running shoes. I know which one I would choose.”
Last year, Spencer told the how running 30 marathons in 30 days was “a humbling experience” after completing The Great Desert Challenge in Jordan.
Running for Global’s Make Some Noise charity, he now holds the Guinness World Record for most marathon distances completed on sand in one month by a male. Spencer started his first marathon on July 29 and finished his last on August 27, having run a total of 1,266km, with temperatures reaching up to 44C.
Outlining the important role of preparation played in his marathon challenge, he said: “Good preparation is the antithesis of jeopardy. When you go into any potentially dangerous situation.
“If you are conscious and prepared and you understand the task at hand, you are more likely to succeed. I’ve always been a ‘wing it’ kind of guy. I winged my wedding speech, which was stupid. I ‘winged’ my A levels , which was stupid. I’ve winged a bunch of stuff in my life and I always kind of saw that as a superpower, and it’s not.
“Not preparing for things is stupid. And if you can prepare for something, whether that be your GCSEs or your first marathon – do.”
Asked what completing 30 marathons in 30 days had taught him about mental resilience he said: “It’s something that, without trying to rev people up, I haven’t had to teach myself. I’ve always kind of had mental resilience in spades. I lost my brother when I was very young which gave me quite a thick skin, and also made me realise that life can be pretty unfair at a young age.
“I was never the person to go to if you had a problem or an issue, because I would find it unusual that people would think that what they were going through at work would be a serious issue. I’ve always been quite a resilient and a get up and go kind of person.
“Given that it was a world first, there was always that little bit of doubt. So I suppose crushing that doubt out of my mind was important for me, and going into it realising that success could be quite life changing for me.”
Outlining the journey he’s been on in his life he continued: “I’ve had all kinds of perceptions of me that I’m not very proud of. The demons are pretty real in my case. I’ve used alcohol for many years and have come from an alcoholic stage in my life through all the way to being a world record holding endurance athlete. And it has been a journey, and it’s required some mental resilience.
“The things that prompt change, I believe, are discipline and action. You can be motivated, but if you’re not disciplined then you’ll never create change. In terms of pushing yourself to achieve things, I think that boundaries are just perceptions.
“If you go into things believing that you’re capable of it, it gets rid of the perception that you can’t do it. I took 325 people running the other day, just because I put a few stories out saying ‘I’m going to run a half marathon on Sunday morning from Battersea Park to this pub in Twickenham and if you want to join me, come join me’.
“300 people turned up, and we all ran together as a group and it was incredible.
“Don’t listen to people who say that things aren’t possible. I literally can’t bear it when people say they can’t do something. It’s crazy to think that way. It’s far healthier to think you can do everything and then realise you can’t. I think everyone should attempt to go after their dreams and push themselves, and it simply doesn’t matter if you fail.”
Spencer’s brother James and sister-in-law Pippa Middleton (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile Spencer’s wife Vogue Williams, 39, is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child. They already share three little ones, Theo, Gigi and Otto, all under the age of six, but had been debating adding to her family before she turned 40. Her children are cousins to Pippa’s three youngsters.
Vogue has shut down divorce “rumours” after her husband recently announced that he would be stepping away from their weekly podcast.
In the latest episode of her My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast, the 39-year-old opened up on the recent rumours, and laughed as she said during a conversation with her co-star, Joanne McNally: “Spenny has quit the Spencer and Vogue podcast and now everyone thinks we’re getting a divorce.”
Spencer said: “I’m moving on from this podcast to pursue other business interests and focus on my upcoming challenge.”
Aside from his new role as a motivational speaker helping addicts Spencer is busy training for his next challenge, to break the Guinness World Record for completing Ironman challenges in all seven continents.