Sharna Burgess has shocked fans with a heart-wrenching revelation about her past struggles with substance abuse as a teenager.
The Aussie Dancing With The Stars judge gave listeners a glimpse into her former battle in a candid episode of her podcast Old-ish, which she co-hosts with her American fiancé, Brian Austin Green.
The professional dancer, 38, confessed that she began experimenting with the highly addictive amphetamine meth as early as 15.
‘We were sitting at the backyard of someone’s house, and a crack pipe was being passed around with meth in it, and we were all taking hits of it,’ the mother-of-one recalled.
Sharna was 17 years at the time, and said she was ‘partying pretty much three to four days a week’.
Sharna Burgess, 38, (pictured) has shocked fans with a heart-wrenching revelation about her past struggles with substance abuse as a teenager
‘Here I was, 17 years old, high awake for three days, watching 20-somethings and maybe even young 30-somethings passing around this crack pipe just waiting to get a little bit more out of it,’ she recalled.
Things became even worse when the champion ballroom dancer suffered a devastating knee injury.
Sharna eventually realised she had to change her drug-taking habits.
The Dancing With The Stars judge gave listeners a glimpse into her battles with substance abuse in a candid episode of her podcast Old-ish , which she co-hosts with her fiancé, Brian Austin Green. Both pictured
She recalled being ‘high awake for three days, watching 20-somethings and maybe even young 30-somethings passing around this crack pipe just waiting to get a little bit more out of it,’ she reflected.
Recognising her drift from her former glory as a national dancing jewel, Burgess felt a sharp sting of realisation: ‘This was not what I was meant for.’
Sharna had struggled with substance abuse for many years.
‘We were sitting at the backyard of someone’s house, and a crack pipe was being passed around with meth in it, and we were all taking hits of it,’ she shared, recounting a particular memory
The dance dynamo detailed other harrowing instances, including a rave where she overdosed, leading to frothing at the mouth.
She noted that ‘you sober up very quickly when you’re in fear of your life like that.’
‘I was very, very uncomfortable in my reality, so I would escape to this place of euphoria,’ she shared.
‘And eventually, the things I would take to get to that place of euphoria weren’t strong enough or enough, and I do more and have more and more often. And that was the slippery slope for me.’
‘I was very, very uncomfortable in my reality, so I would escape to this place of euphoria,’ she shared
Yet, her painful journey wasn’t a straight path to recovery.
Burgess highlighted that unresolved issues at home and a strained relationship with her father often pulled her back into the vortex of addiction.
Dance, she says, was her saving grace. It provided the strength she needed to rewrite her narrative.
It comes after the mother-of-one announced her engagement to her longtime partner Brian Austin Green.
The pair made it official at Green’s surprise birthday bash in July but kept it under wraps until just last week.
For confidential 24-hour support in Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
It comes after the mother-of-one announced her engagement to her longtime partner Brian Austin Green. Pictured at the iHeartRadio Music Festival last week
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