health
Toby Stephens: ‘I lost my dad to cirrhosis. The only difference between us was that, tragically, he couldn’t stop drinking’
The actor on missing his late mother, Maggie Smith, being mistaken for Damian Lewis, and looking ‘like a fridge’
TL;DR
- Toby Stephens battled alcoholism and addiction in his 20s, a struggle that intensified after his father's death from cirrhosis.
- He deeply misses his late mother, Maggie Smith, and wishes he could bring her back.
- Stephens cries frequently, particularly at his children's school performances, and dislikes social media.
- He has been mistaken for Damian Lewis and dislikes his own appearance, describing himself as looking 'like a fridge'.
- He admits to telling a lie to his wife to leave the house and lists cigars as a guilty pleasure.
- Stephens regrets not having read 'Ulysses' despite multiple attempts.
- A harsh review once suggested his stage character 'needs to get on a StairMaster' due to his size at the time.