Steve Wilkos, a former bodyguard for Jerry Springer, has been charged with driving under the influence after a solo car crash.
Wilkos, 53, who is now a talk show host himself, flipped his vehicle after striking several poles and a tree in the accident that happened in Darien, Connecticut, last month.
He confessed to TMZ: ‘Over the course of my life, I have been struggling with bouts of depression and on the day of my accident, I had a complete lapse in judgment which resulted in me drinking and getting behind the wheel of my car.’
Allegedly under the influence: Steve Wilkos, a former bodyguard for Jerry Springer, has been charged with driving under the influence after a solo car crash in Connecticut last month
The former Marine and police officer went on: ‘This experience reinforces my commitment to get the professional help that I need and I have recently completed an intensive medically supervised program.’
Wilkos suffered minor injuries in the solo spin-out and said at the time that he felt ‘lucky to be alive.’
He originally claimed to TMZ that the crash happened after he reached for his glasses and denied drinking or using drugs.
The Darien Times tweeted a picture of the crash which showed the extent of the damage, captioning it: ‘Car flips on West Avenue after striking poles and tree Sunday, driver transported to hospital.’
Solo crash: Wilkos is lucky to be alive after slamming his car into poles and a tree before flipping it. He suffered only minor injuries in the crash as pictured in The Darien Times
Famous sidekick: Wilkos was a bodyguard on The Jerry Springer Show from 1994 to 2007 before being offered his own tabloid talk show which is still in production
The former Chicago PD officer worked on The Jerry Springer Show as a bodyguard from 1994 to 2007.
He filled in for the host on more than 50 episodes, with Springer calling him a ‘natural choice’ due to his his law enforcement background and experience on TV.
Wilkos was then offered his own tabloid talk show, which debuted on 10 September, 2007, just two months after he left Jerry Springer.
Despite his crash and the death of the crew member, production for the show is set to continue this week.
Muscle:The former marine and police officer, pictured in the blue t-shirt, had a starring role trying to keep the peace on The Jerry Springer Show