Drink nearly killed me, says Perry

FRIENDS star Matthew Perry has told how his years of booze binges nearly killed him.

Perry, who plays Chandler Bing in the TV show, admitted that seeking help for his addiction was a question of life or death.

The star confesses on tonight's Parkinson programme that his alcoholism nearly destroyed him.

Asked about his recovery, Perry said: "It wasn't a question of strength. It was a question of whether I wanted to live or die that was the real decision. I'm happy to say that I chose life."

Perry, 33, spoke candidly to interviewer Michael Parkinson on the BBC1 show about the extent of his drink problem.

He joked: "There was a certain point in my life when I'd have tried to drink you, Michael."

Perry has been clean since last year when he beat his addiction to alcohol and the painkiller Vicodin.

His problems were well-documented in the press and viewers saw his weight fluctuate wildly over the last four years as he alternated booze and drugs binges with spells in rehab clinics.

But Perry declared that he was glad his problems had been made public: "I got to help more people than I would have done had it remained private."

The actor became one of the world's best known TV stars after landing the role of Chandler, but Perry said rapid fame had contributed to his problems.

"It's very odd to have all your dreams come true at the age of 25 and find that this new life isn't quite what you thought it would be," he said.

In the interview, Perry also joked about the rumour that he had fathered Liz Hurley's baby, Damian, during a supposed fling on the set of their movie Serving Sara.

He said: "I certainly like the rumour that I was the father of Elizabeth Hurley's baby.

"It made me think I could impregnate women in a different way to everyone else.

"Elizabeth and I were never alone in a room together, so I must be a very powerful man indeed.

"Actually, I'm thinking of suing the baby!"

The next series of the TV show will be the last, and Perry admitted he had mixed emotions.

"We are doing 18 more episodes of Friends next year, and then that's it," he said.