Tom Felton has opened up about rehab, recovery and his mental health

Tom Felton played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie franchise for ten years, and while he actually only appeared in 31 minutes of the entire series (really, it's a thing) he is a wizarding world favourite.

Since filming wrapped in 2011, the actor went on to star in a number of movies and TV series and even thrilled fans with his performance in the popular West End show, 2:22 A Ghost Story.

However, behind the scenes the actor has revealed that he was dealing with a lot of personal struggles, and that his friend and former co-star Emma Watson gave him the confidence to speak openly about his experiences. 

Discussing his relationship with alcohol and how it started impacting his work, Tom writes in his memoir Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard: "I went from being not particularly interested [in alcohol] to regularly having a few pints a day before the sun had even gone down, and a shot of whiskey to go with each of them."

Tom goes on to explain that his partner and management team staged an intervention which resulted in him checking into a Malibu rehabilitation centre. He decided to leave after a few days, and while trying to find a Hollywood bar he was stopped by a stranger who gave him a bottle of water and $20, asking him to reflect on whether he was a 'rich man' in his life. 

The comment struck a chord with the actor who then eventually found treatment that helped his recovery. 

He also credits Emma with giving him the strength to share his story, telling USA Today: "Emma was a big force of encouragement to be like: 'This will resonate with people.'

"It wouldn't really seem right just to talk about all the fluffy stuff. After encouragement, I was given a bit more confidence in myself to go, 'You know what? This happened, and this is part of my life.'"

He added: "I'm no longer shy of putting my hands up and saying: I'm not okay."

If you are struggling with your relationship with alcohol, you can visit Drink Aware for information about support services.