It could be said that (doing the show) saved me,” he told the magazine in advance of the book’s release. When he got the part, his alcohol addiction was just starting, but it was only the beginning of his troubles. “If you gauge my weight from season to season — when I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I am skinny, it’s pills. Perry has been to rehab 15 times and undergone 14 surgeries related to his addiction. In 2021’’s “Friends” reunion, Perry opened up about the stress he felt to perform while on the show.

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