Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway says she was shocked at how she was treated when she stopped drinking alcohol – saying people have a problem with abstinence.
The TV presenter, 50, has steered clear of alcohol for Dry January and is having liver tests.
Garraway told ITV show Lorraine that a test taken before she gave up drinking showed she had a fatty liver, thought to be from over-indulging at Christmas.
So excited ! about to go on @ITVLorraine to reveal my liver test results for #LKloosethebooze #dryjanuary xxx
— Kate Garraway (@kategarraway) January 9, 2018
Describing herself as a “moderate drinker,” Garraway said: “I thought, I don’t really drink that much. But when you stop completely it is a shocker. You realise that a glass here, going to a function there, they all tot up.
“I have been really shocked by people’s reactions. I think we have a problem with how we treat people and alcohol.
“If you said: ‘I’m giving up smoking’, people would put on a parade. If you said: ‘I’m going to eat more healthily’, people would say: ‘Good for you.’
“If it’s drinking, the first reaction is: ‘That’s so boring. You’re going to be so boring.’”
On now, we're chatting to @kategarraway who's taking part in our #LKLoseTheBooze campaign. You can pledge here: https://t.co/Qg9HnPq45j pic.twitter.com/4InFnfbXh4
— Lorraine on ITV (@ITVLorraine) January 9, 2018
The mother-of-two said: “I had a friend who said: ‘I’m cancelling your birthday lunch in January until February.’”
Fellow Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan told Garraway that people who do Dry January are “smug and irritating, and I’m like ‘OK, so you are the arbiter of that!’”
She told Lorraine Kelly, who is also off alcohol for a month, that the result of her liver test showed no “long-term” damage.
A test to see how the liver has reacted to alcohol over the years showed a “very, very good reading”.
But she did have a “worryingly high” fat reading in the liver.
She was told this was “probably because I had a very, very good Christmas”.
The presenter added: “If your liver is storing fat, then it’s not working as it should be, to do all the things that it’s there to do.”
Garraway, who said she felt “better” and “fresher” off alcohol, will take another test at the end of the month to see whether fat levels have reduced.