Tom Hardy: from the brink of death to Hollywood star
Tom Hardy on his inspiring struggle to be a better person.
Most people know Hollywood actor Tom Hardy, but you probably don’t know his incredible true story.
He was born in a middle class family in Surrey, but at the age of 11 he started sniffing glue.
At 16 he was expelled from boarding school for stealing.
Tom was heavily addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol. He was arrested by the police for car theft and illegal gun possession. Years later his addiction cost him his marriage to Sarah Ward.
When he was 26, Tom hit rock bottom and was found lying in a pool of blood in London’s Soho district.
This was the wake-up call he needed. Tom went into rehab and has been sober ever since.
“Acting helps me to stay sober,” says the Mad Max actor. “And to keep on track.
“The characters I’ve played have been mostly violent and I’m so far from being violent or aggressive.
“I now spend a lot of time watching Fireman Sam with my son.”
Today, Tom uses his own experiences and success by doing good.
“I want to help other people. I’m really grateful for the things that happened in my life," he says.
“It could have gone the wrong way.
“I try to help young people who want to get their life on track as ambassador for Prince’s Trust.
“It’s very important to me that they get the life-changing second chance that I had.”
Tom loves dogs. While filming Lawless he saw a homeless canine and adopted her.
And the British actor actively supports Peta, the world’s largest animal-rights organisation.
He also supports Help for Heroes, a UK charity that helps wounded British soldiers.
Does he consider himself a saint?
“I still struggle and the biggest fight right now is the fight within me,” he says.
“The fight is to just try to better myself.”
Always remember Tom's wisdom: “You don’t know what winning is if you don’t know what losing feels like.”
This BrightVibes original video proved such a success on our Facebook page that we received a personal thank you from Tom himself! Pretty cool, huh?
We were blown away by the reaction. What do you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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