Susannah Constantine, the iconic former TV stylist, has opened up about her battle with sugar — an addiction she now says mirrored the behaviours she once had with alcohol. Over just 12 weeks, Constantine dropped 14lbs after cutting sugar from her diet, thanks to an intervention orchestrated by one of her closest friends.
The 63-year-old, who has been sober from alcohol for 13 years, admits that giving up chocolate and fatty treats proved far trickier than quitting booze. “Oddly, giving up alcohol was easier than giving up sugar,” she told the Sunday Times. “A bar of chocolate never changed my personality like alcohol did, but my behaviour around sugar had become alarmingly familiar. What started as a harmless reward for staying sober quietly turned dark.” She explained that sugar triggers the brain’s reward pathways, releasing dopamine and opioids — much like alcohol.
Recognising the signs of her sugar obsession, Constantine recalls, “It was when I started hiding chocolate that I realised I had a problem. One of my greatest passions had become a dirty secret.” Her daughters, Esme and Cece, even called her out: “‘Mum! You’ve already had half a bar. What’s the point of eating healthily if you’re stuffing yourself with Maltesers?’” Constantine admits she often justified it with a wink: she ate well just so she could indulge in the “brown stuff.”
Her sugar intake, she notes, was roughly four times the NHS-recommended daily allowance — a habit echoing her earlier struggles with alcohol. Salvation came in the form of friend Lulu Hutley, who invited Constantine to a secluded retreat in the Algarve. Away from her everyday temptations, Constantine was guided through a full detox by Lulu’s nutritionist friend, Edna, which included gut and colon cleansing and a strictly anti-inflammatory diet. Processed foods, refined carbs, and sugar were strictly off-limits.
Venezuela is 16 years old (Credit: Splashnews.com)
Constantine’s road to sobriety started long before sugar. In 2013, a humbling family holiday in Cornwall marked her personal rock bottom. She recalls, “I blacked out, fell over, broke my back, and wet myself. My children saw it. I knew I needed help.” Opening up to her family and attending AA meetings saved her life: “The relief swept over me when I realised others shared my story. I was not alone.”
Now, Constantine has channelled that same resolve into tackling sugar. Her story is a compelling reminder that recovery takes courage, honesty, and the support of loved ones — whether it’s alcohol, sugar, or any addiction controlling your life.
