90s pop idol unrecognisable after drinking aftershave in addiction battle

Nineties pop sensation Kavana has told how he once drank AFTERSHAVE at the height of his drink and drugs addiction. The 47 year old star, has openly documented his battles in an autobiography that lifts the lid on his days of fame – and the horrors that followed.

The I Can Make You Feel Good singer, whose real name is Anthony Kavanagh, was just 20 years old when he stormed the charts with his Top 10 1997 smash hit, which was succeeded by MFEO (Made For Each Other) and Crazy Chance. He subsequently featured in E4's Hollyoaks: In The City in 2006 and competed on the reality television programme Grease Is the Word in 2007, where he finished as runner-up.

In 2014 he tried out for ITV's talent competition The Voice, but didn't make it beyond the audition stage, with no judges turning for him in their chairs. He also secured seventh place in the 2015 series of Celebrity Big Brother.

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But few people knew of Kavana's personal battles, which have been laid bare in his tell-all autobiography, Pop Scars. The singer's self-deprecating book also relates how his nose bled in front of Boyzone's Ronan Keating after snorting cocaine. And how he was slapped with a lifetime ban from ITV's Loose Women after turning up drunk and quizzing one of the hosts on her sex life.

The singer, who revealed he was gay in 2014, also confesses to a secret romance with the late Boyzone vocalist, Stephen Gately.

And the tale of how he came to be drinking aftershave comes in a chapter about preparing to attend his first AA meeting but is craving alcohol. He remembers: "There's a cabinet I haven't checked yet, which I open to reveal quite the selection, from Tom Ford to Dior, but each one has a spray nozzle on top which is pointless. Then at the far back I see a half empty bottle of Joop, no spray attached and totally drinkable."

He continues: "I wait for a second, imagining how this would look in a movie: the tragic alcoholic downing aftershave in a posh LA bathroom. I laugh at my reflection, what a joke, except the punchline is my life. The taste is beyond description, like someone's melted a plastic Christmas tree with battery acid and marzipan. I immediately gag, my body repulsed against yet another foreign liquid, but I force it down."

But despite Kavana's troubles, he finally chose to transform his life during the summer of 2023. Posting images captured over an 18-month period, he appeared dramatically transformed from his lowest point and expressed gratitude for seeking assistance.

Now he looks a picture of heath, continuing to post on his Instagram page to his 13,000 followers. Alongside one recent image of him brushing his teeth, he said: "Just wanted to capture the miracle of me waking up fresh on a Sunday morning and doing a live radio interview at 8.30 a.m. Three years ago at this time I’d be on my way to the off license and I must remind myself of these things and be grateful."

Fans rushed to support him, with one saying: "Looking fresh, well done, you have done amazing." Another commented: "You look great Kav, you are smashing this….keep going and enjoy every moment." And a third added: "Wahooooo! Count all the wins."

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