Sir Bradley Wiggins has been open about his struggles with substance abuse since the Team GB Olympic hero retired from cycling in 2016
Sir Bradley Wiggins has grappled with substance abuse struggles since retiring from cycling in 2016.
The 45-year-old sporting legend claimed five Olympic gold medals for Team GB and made history as Britain’s first Tour de France victor in 2012. Sadly, Wiggins found himself in turmoil after stepping away from professional cycling and developed a cocaine addiction.
He has been candid about his mental health battles and revealed that his children Ben and Isabella had previously tried to encourage their father to seek treatment. Wiggins declared bankruptcy in June 2024. However, the cycling great recently disclosed he’s preparing to enter trauma counselling at a rehabilitation facility after Lance Armstrong contacted the sporting icon.
“I still speak to him and see [Armstrong],” Wiggins explained. “I’m off to America on Friday. He’s paid for me to go and see a top trauma counselling clinic in Utah, so I’m looking forward to that.” Wiggins has been in recovery from cocaine for a year. His latest memoir, The Chain, details numerous episodes that show how his life unravelled after retiring from competitive cycling.
Destroyed knighthood
In the book, Wiggins confessed that previously, he had partially attributed his drug problems to his achievements. He remembered the moment he destroyed his awards in front of his two eldest children Isabella and Ben.
“I raged as I smashed up my 2012 trophy for Sports Personality of the Year and my knighthood: ‘This isn’t success,'” he said.
“I did that in front of my kids. No wonder there were times when they talked about trying to put me in rehab.”
Olympic medal shame
Wiggins revealed that he took drugs off his Olympic gold medal during his darkest moments battling substance abuse. He described how, at that point, it served as Wiggins’ method of striking back at what he felt had triggered his struggles.
“The desecration of my Olympic medal might have happened away from [the children’s] gaze but it’s equally sad to reflect on,” he wrote. “Hundreds of thousands of people roaring me on, millions more watching at home.
“One of the great moments of London 2012, and there I am in a wardrobe, snorting cocaine [off my gold medal], mocking my achievement, hating it for what I believed it had brought me.”
Split from wife on Twitter
Wiggins shared that his marriage with wife Catherine had broken down via social media in 2020. The pair had welcomed son Ben and daughter Isabella together during their time as a couple.
Due to his substance abuse issues, Wiggins eventually left the family home in 2019. He announced their separation 12 months later on social media without discussing it with Catherine, according to the Daily Mail. Their divorce became final last year, although they continue to maintain an amicable relationship.
His post read: “It is with deep sadness my wife Cath and I have decided to separate. Our two children remain our priority and we ask for privacy at this time. Brad and Cath.”
In his memoir, Wiggins spoke about the toll his struggles had taken on his former spouse. “Cath is as big a casualty of the past 12 years as anyone. She paid the ultimate price for being my wife,” he wrote.
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