Jonathan Rhys Meyers has issued a public apology after worrying pictures of him were published that showed him apparently intoxicated while walking down a London street. The Irish actor, who has battled an addiction to alcohol, sparked concerns with his behaviour and his dishevelled appearance in the images – and has now spoken about the incident for the first time.Jonathan, 37, reached out to his fans by posting a message on the Instagram page of his American fiancée Mara Lane, assuring them he was "on the mend" and that it was just a "blip" in his recovery.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers issued an apology on fiancée Mara Lane's Instagram account
"Mara and I are thankful for your support and kindness during this time. I apologise for having a minor relapse and hope that people don’t think too badly of me. I stopped drinking immediately."
The star also said that his relapse was not the reason for his absence at the unveilling of his new film Damascus Cover at the Cannes Film Festival. "I was not meant to attend Cannes this year, and I apologise to fans and colleagues," he wrote.
"I am on the mend and thank well wishers and sorry for my dishevelled appearance as I was on my way home from a friends and had not changed. I feel I made a mistake and feel quite embarrassed but this was just a blip in my recovery otherwise I'm living a healthy life. Love and blessings. "Jonathan's battle with his addiction has been well documented. He has been arrested on a number of occasions over the last decade, and has previously sought help for alcohol abuse, most recently checking into rehab in 2011.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers reassured fans the incident was a "minor relapse"
In November 2013, he opened up about his demons. "I was wild, I was as wild as you can get," he told the Mirror. "When you are on the front of newspapers for stupidity, getting drunk at airports, fighting with cops and stuff like that, you wake up the next day and you can hardly… remember it. Responsibility gets diminished. "He added, "As you get older, you see the stupid things you have done. It is not the consequences for yourself, but your family get hurt, your friends get hurt…."Now I do nothing. Once you make the decision you have had enough of something, the decision is made you have had enough."