The British musical theatre impresario behind hit shows such as The Phantom of the Opera<\/a>, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar first announced that he had stopped drinking back in 2016.<\/p>\n At the time, he sold much of his famous wine collection that included cases of Ch\u00e2teau P\u00e9trus 1982 worth \u00a350,000 each. <\/p>\n But Lloyd Webber, 78, now says that he began drinking again in secret after 18 months.<\/p>\n \u201cI was doing what they call \u2018white-knuckling\u2019, without any backup, and I started to worry that I wasn\u2019t being creative,\u201d he told The Times. <\/a><\/p>\n Lloyd Webber said he realised he needed help last year and that getting sober was \u201cthe best thing that ever happened to me\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cYou think it\u2019s a secret, but it\u2019s not,\u201d he said of his past drinking habit. \u201cEverybody knows. I started getting into a downhill spiral and about 18 months ago the family was in a desperate state. My wife was feeling she couldn\u2019t go on.\u201d<\/p>\n The composer said he had been surprised by how much he enjoyed attending AA meetings: \u201cYou go into a room and everybody\u2019s equal. I\u2019ve made friends that I wouldn\u2019t have thought possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Lloyd Webber was also delighted to discover that, without alcohol, he is more productive than ever. He is writing two musicals, one based on the 2006 film The Illusionist, and another about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa.<\/p>\n He plans to auction off the last of his wine at Christie\u2019s between 22 April to 6 May, with the estimated \u00a3300,000 raised to be donated to the Music in Secondary Schools Trust.<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776587889_134_newFile-3.jpg\")
Andrew Lloyd Webber says his family was in a \u2018desperate state\u2019 over his alcoholism (PA)<\/p>\n