Cold Feet star John Thomson has spoken about the “dark thoughts” he experienced at low periods in his life.

The actor rocketed to fame when the ITV drama began in 1997, but his career took a tumble after the final series aired in 2003 – and his party lifestyle was documented in the tabloid press.

Cold Feet revival
The cast of Cold Feet (ITV)

“I moved to London and just bought into the scene. I bought into the parties and the private members’ clubs, everybody does, it’s a rite of passage.”

He accepted he was an alcoholic in 2006, but struggled to turn his career around and made an unsuccessful trip to Los Angeles in 2012 to get back on track.

Teenage Cancer Trust Comedy Night – The Royal Albert Hall
John Thomson (Yui Mok/PA)

Soon after his wife left him in 2015, he received a call about the Cold Feet revival, which aired last year and gave him a chance to draw on his own experiences.

UKTV Live season launch
John Thomson (Ian West/PA)

He said: “There’s a force in me that won’t allow me to go that low. Too much to lose. Maybe before children, possibly, but not now. Not now. You contemplate. I’ve had thoughts.

“I’ve had dark thoughts, but never considered carrying them out. I could mentally toy with the idea of it and how to do it, but not carry it out, because I’ve got something in me, call it spirit, a guardian angel.”

The World Premiere of Grimsby – London
John Thomson (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

He said: “The timing couldn’t have been better. It was my salvation.”

Cold Feet will return for another series on September 8 on ITV.

(Radio Times)