Baz Ashmawy has given an honest account of his drink driving arrest, saying he hit rock bottom at the time.
The 42-year-old has started a new summer radio show on RTE radio 1 and recalled that the last time he was on air in that studio was a difficult period of his life.
Baz was put off the road for two years after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Dublin in 2011.
This resulted in him being suspended from his 2fm show which later got cancelled by RTE.
“Six years ago, or the last time I sat in a studio like this manning a show with my name on it, I had just spent the night in a Garda station and had been arrested for drink driving,” he said on the Baz thing.
“I remember I arrived in the radio studio to review the papers, like I always did, and there was my face all over every front page. I could literally see my world collapsing in front of me.
“I could read it – it was there in black and white. It’s difficult for me to talk about because it’s something I’m ashamed of, or something I hate about myself.
“Not just that, I passed those feelings onto my family and people I love. It was embarrassing and shameful for them.
The 50 ways to kill your Mammy star said it deeply affected his family.
“I know they get upset when I talk about it so I haven’t really spoken about it publicly. I wish I didn’t happened so I don’t talk about it. I was sorry I did it but the fact is I did it. All the sorries in the world isn’t going to change it.”
“Shortly after that incident, I ended up in hospital with my health. My contract was cancelled.
“I lost my job in radio, no one would hire me in TV. I was unemployed for 18 months. We had a one-year-old Hannah at the time and my missus was seven months pregnant.”
He added that he reached a very low point: “I swear to god, if I could touch it it would turn to s**t. I hit rock bottom.
“You can avoid looking in the mirror for a long time but one day when you least expect it you’ll catch your reflection and be forced to ask ‘Do you like who you see? Are you happy?’ and I didn’t and I wasn’t.
“It took me a long time – years – to change my circumstances. But over time I came to realise the power of change.”
Baz is hosting current affairs show The Baz Thing over eight weeks on RTE Radio 1 Wednesdays from 10pm.
