Paul Drayton has broken his silence after being freed from prison.
Alan Carr‘s recently estranged husband walked free from court on Friday following two ‘harrowing’ nights in custody after winning his appeal against a prison sentence for drink-driving.
Paul, 50, took to his Instagram Stories late on Monday afternoon, where he stated that he takes ‘full accountability’ and revealed that he will go back into rehab.
He was jailed on Wednesday after reversing a 4×4 into a police car with an alcohol test reading ‘off the scale,’ but on Friday a judge told him he should be given the opportunity to turn his life around and that his sentence would be suspended.
Paul recently announced his split from comedian Alan Carr, his partner of 13 years, and also underwent brain surgery just over two weeks ago.
Breaking his silence: Paul Drayton, 50, has broken his silence after being freed from prison (Pictured in Friday after his 14-week prison sentence was overturned)
Estranged: Paul recently announced his split from comedian Alan Carr, his partner of 13 years (Pictured together in September 2019)
Drayton had been handed a 14-week jail term on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single count of ‘driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above limit’.
He wore a blue suit to Brighton Crown Court on Friday as his barrister sought to have him released from custody.
John Dye, representing Drayton, told the court: ‘This is a very serious drink-driving offence.
Alan Carr’s marriage to Paul Drayton never recovered after his alcoholic husband shared photo sporting a black eye and claimed it happened after they’d ‘had a row’
Shocking: Alan Carr’s relationship with Paul Drayton never recovered after his alcoholic husband shared a picture of himself with a black eye and claimed it was after the couple had ‘had a row’
Alan Carr‘s relationship with Paul Drayton never recovered after his alcoholic husband shared a picture of himself with a black eye and claimed it was after the couple had ‘had a row’.
The funnyman believed Paul’s Instagram post in April last year, which showed him sporting the injury alongside the caption ‘we had a row’, risked ruining his career.
Never: Paul removed the photo from Instagram within an hour after telling a fan ‘We had a bad row’ and took to Instagram the next day to insist the comedian, 45, ‘has never hit me’
And close friends of the chat show, 45, host feel that was the ‘final straw’ in their rocky relationship which was strained due to Paul’s booze problems.
Alan is now being comforted by close friend Adele, whom he supported during her high-profile divorce from Simon Konecki.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Alan knew Paul’s claim was potentially career threatening and could have had disastrous consequences.
‘They managed to correct the situation, leaving Alan’s reputation intact, but it could have been so much worse and the final straw in a line of issues. ‘Alan has been leaning on Adele during hard times, like he was there for her during her marriage break up.
‘It’s sad for everyone involved but the time was right to split.’ Paul, 50, removed the picture of himself with the black eye after an hour and the following day released a statement confirming ‘Alan would not and has never hit me.’ The Chatty Man star responded by explaining Paul’s injury was a result of him ‘being back on the wagon’ and he had not been involved in the incident, as he was filming in Wales at the time. He also revealed Paul ‘would be getting all the help he needs to get better.’
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‘It crosses the custody threshold. I think to say anything other than that would be absurd.’
But he emphasised Drayton’s previous good character, mental health struggles and problems with alcohol.
‘The two nights in custody have been extremely difficult for someone who has poor mental health,’ he added.
At the mention of his two nights in prison since being jailed on Wednesday, Drayton broke down in silent tears in the dock.
Judge Shani Barnes responded: ‘I am sure they have been harrowing.’
After briefly retiring to discuss the case with her magistrate colleague, she returned to the courtroom and told Drayton that had led an ‘exemplary life’.
Addressing the question of whether the sentence could be suspended, she said the answer was ‘quite clearly… yes’.
‘Yes, of course it is right that we give you an opportunity to make amends and turn your life around.’
She told him he would receive a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.
Drayton, who had been visibly emotional in the dock throughout the hearing, broke down in fresh tears as the decision was announced.
At his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the court heard that worried members of the public had called police on October 9 last year when they saw Drayton driving in Broadbridge Heath, West Sussex, shortly before 3pm.
Prosecutor Suzanne Soros said officers tracked him down and saw his vehicle ‘swerving from side to side’.
Suspecting he was over the alcohol limit, they signalled for him to pull over and he complied.
‘The defendant then reverses into the police vehicle,’ Ms Soros said.
Drayton was then boxed in by other police vehicles to prevent him making a getaway.
A breath alcohol test returned a reading of 153 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath – four times the legal limit.
Carr and his husband confirmed last week they were splitting up after three years of marriage and 13 years together.
A spokesman for Carr said the couple have made the decision ‘jointly and amicably’.
Carr reportedly ‘drank with fans’ after a comedy gig in Essex last week following the announcement.
He carried on with life as normal by getting straight up on stage, telling the crowd his break-up was good news for a ‘horny groupie into chubby homosexuals’.
He was described as the ‘life-and-soul’ at an ‘impromptu afterparty’ at his hotel in Southend-on-Sea on Saturday.
A source told the Sun: ‘Alan was the life-and-soul following his gig in Essex and headed straight for The Seven Hotel where he was staying for an impromptu after party.
‘He spent the night buying drinks for guests and talking with them in the hotel bar until the early hours. Alan was in great spirits and had other guests in hysterics.’
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The source added: ‘He didn’t shy away from his split with Paul either and was happy to speak about it.
‘It was clear there was no bad blood and Alan made it clear he just wanted to get on with life.’
Carr told the sold-out audience at the Cliffs Theatre: ‘You might have read I am going through a divorce.
The location: The incident took place in Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, around three miles from where he and Alan Carr live in a £2.7 million home
‘I know it is always sad when couples go apart but it is good news if you’re a horny groupie into chubby homosexuals. Travelodge room 242…’
The star was also seen getting some fresh air as he walked through town on Sunday with a coffee in his hand. He wrapped up in a bright red coat with a faux fur hood.
Alan Carr and Paul Drayton were married by Adele in her Los Angeles garden in 2018.
The singer wrote on Instagram: ‘Seeing as the cats out the bag. I married two of my best friends in January. You know me, any excuse to dress up.’
Carr told ITV’s This Morning at the time: ‘Adele got ordained and she married us. She is the kindest and most sweetest. She sang my first dance.’
The couple were married by Adele in her LA garden in 2018, left, after more than a decade together. Unfortunately their relationship, which began 13 years ago, ended recently
‘Sobriety’: Paul shared a statement on Instagram about the separation, explaining that he ‘proactively’ checked himself into rehab at the beginning of 2022 to seek help for alcoholism
In a statement about the divorce, Carr’s spokesman said: ‘After 13 years as a couple and three years of marriage,
‘Alan Carr and Paul Drayton would like to announce they are separating. They have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go their separate ways. We request that their privacy is respected at this sensitive time.’
Last year, Carr told of his support after Drayton spoke about his struggles with alcoholism.
The comedian said while he had been away for work, Drayton had ‘fallen off the wagon and started drinking again’.
Rehab stints, lockdown temptations and a drink-drive charge: Paul Drayton’s battle with alcohol
2016
Alan speaks out on Paul’s battle with booze for the first time, writing in his book Alanatomy that he began drinking more heavily after injuring his back in 2015.
Paul and Alan in November 2018 following Paul’s rehab stint earlier that year
‘It’s horrible when you realise how bad it’s got. You’re watching someone kill themselves,’ the star writes.
‘I wanted to leave him. It’s the lies that get you – the, ‘Oh I’ll never drink again’. And then you go out, realise you’ve forgotten your car keys, go back and… [Paul would be drinking.]
‘I couldn’t cope, because when I left the house, I didn’t know if he was going to have a fall, or put something on the hob and fall asleep. He was grey and shuffling around. It was like watching someone die.’
January 2018
Shortly after Alan and Paul return from their Mexico honeymoon, Paul checks himself into a rehab facility.
March 30 2020
Paul reveals he has gone 650 days without having a drink, posting on Instagram at the beginning of the first coronavirus lockdown: ‘Believe me I’m really tempted to have a few. Even if it’s Just to alleviate the bloody boredom! I wake up the next day so grateful I didn’t.’
August 2020
Alan reveals lockdown has tempted his teetotal husband to start drinking again. ‘It’s been tough for Paul during lockdown. He’s been saying, ”Oh, shall we get a bottle?” and I say, ”No, we’re not getting any rosé wine in”. He’s been so good and I’m so proud of him,’the comedian says.
August 2021
Drayton pictured at his court hearing dor drink-driving in November 2021
Paul shares a photo of himself with a black eye on Instagram and tells a fan ‘we had a bad row,’ before removing it within an hour.
The next day he insists Alan ‘has never hit me,’ writing on social media: ‘I’m feeling very fragile at the minute and would like to say that Alan would not and has never hit me. And I’m devastated that he has to deal with this today.’
Alan confirms in a statement shortly after his husband posted the black eye image the injury was a result of him ‘being back on the wagon’.
September 2021
Alan explains that he had given up alcohol to help his husband stay sober, revealing he had six months off that spanned Christmas and New Year but he had since returned to drinking.
‘It was the worst f****ing Christmas I’ve ever had. And my mother didn’t help by offering him a Bailey’s and going: ‘It’s only Bailey’s – what’s the worst that can happen!” Alan says of Paul.
November 2021
Paul pleads guilty at Brighton Magistrates to a drink-driving charge after getting behind the wheel while four times over the legal limit. He is warned that he faces jail by a judge who tells him it was a ‘miracle’ no one was killed.
Paul was accused of drink-driving after he reversed into a police car, narrowly missing a mother pushing a pram, while in his Mitsubishi 4×4 in West Sussex, just three miles from the £2.7 million home he shares with Alan.
Originally, he denied the charge.
Paul shares a post on NYD 2022 admitting 2021 had been full of ‘ups and downs’
January 1 2022
Paul shares a lengthy Instagram post on January 1, admitting 2021 had been full of ‘ups and downs’ as he apologises for hurting his loved ones. Paul says he takes ‘full responsibility for my actions and am sorry for any hurt I’ve caused at times when I was not myself’.
January 21 2022
The couple confirm they have separated and are divorcing after 13 years together. Paul shares his own statement on Instagram explaining that he checked himself into rehab at the beginning of the year ‘in order to get the help and support I need during this challenging time.’
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