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Cork chef and social media star Trisha Lewis has opened up about her gambling addiction which left her wanting to “jump into the river outside the casino most weekends”.
The 34-year-old, who has become an inspiration to many throughout her well-documented weightloss journey, made the revelation on Instagram on Sunday night.
In a statement posted to her page @trishas.transformation, the chef said: “Like everyone I have a past and part of my past is that I am addicted to gambling.
“Even writing this my head tells me ‘no you just like cards and kinda lost money.’ It’s amazing the power of that inner voice.
“A part of my life before Trisha’s transformation is in fact that I lost everything I had in the casino time and time again.
“For all of my 20’s I played in the casino nearly 7 nights of the week, Christmas Eve, NYE it didn’t matter if it was open I went.”
The chef said the casino was her “safe place,” a place where she could self destruct a life she “didn’t really like”.
My gambling addiction was a slow burner that ended on a crescendo where I wanted to jump into the river outside the casino most weekends.
“Writing that hurts my heart but it is the truth. The damage it did on my mental health was terrifying.”
The 34-year-old said she “couldn’t see a way out” and her weight was “a huge factor”.
“The casino was the only place I felt accepted. The only place I could socialise on a Saturday night without being laughed at.”
“My gambling addiction started from loneliness and continued with an addiction that I battled for years.”
“I continued on with my career and only my very inner circle started to see cracks as I was slowly losing myself and asking for loans more often.”
The former head chef at Cork’s Jacobs on the Mall has gone on to sell cookbooks and her own knives alongside making television appearances. She said she decided to share her story because she has “come out the other side”.
“I’m no longer embarrassed to say it.”
The social media star, who has over 224,000 followers on Instagram, has been inundated with support since sharing her story and has since taken to her Instagram stories to share an update.
“So many people are contacting me and saying they are going to get help,” she wrote. “90% of the messages are from females.”
“Gambling has a stigma about it, especially as a female, as it’s rarely spoken about.”
The chef applauded those who messaged her saying they have taken “the first step”.
“Fight back and speak up. You deserve it,” she concluded.