The 88-year-old 'Tenet' actor talks about his journey to sobriety, admitting he 'got a new outlook on life' after deciding to quit drinking in order to live longer.
- May 19, 2021
AceShowbiz - Michael Caine has quit drinking alcohol in a bid to spend more time with his three grandchildren.
The 88-year-old actor is grandfather to 12-year-old Taylor and 11-year-old twins Miles and Allegra. And in an interview with Candis magazine, Michael admitted that it was the arrival of his young relatives which prompted him to overhaul his lifestyle.
"I've decided to live a bit longer," he grinned. "I've cut down on the drink and got a new outlook on life. I thought I wasn't going to have grandchildren, and suddenly I have three. They're my fountain of youth and have given me a new lease of life without any of the worries or troubles. I'm completely besotted and so is my wife."
"I've had some high points in my life, I've won two Academy Awards and been given a knighthood, and I used to think that you couldn't get better than that. But then I got my grandchildren, which is better than anything."
"The wonderful thing about Âgrandchildren is something someone once said, which is they fill a hole in your heart which you didn't know was empty. And I think that's absolutely true."
Caine is dad to daughter Dominique from his first marriage to actress Patricia Haines, and Natasha with second wife Shakira.
His comments come after the "Tenet" star opened up about Shakira saving him from a potential addiction to alcohol when he was younger. "I was a bit of a p**s-artist when younger. I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and I was smoking several packs a day," he said in 2016. "I wasn't unhappy, but it was stress. You know, 'Am I going to get another picture? How am I going to do this part? How am I going to remember all those lines?' "
