14 DAY TRIAL // Gerard Butler was last seen in public at the end of last month, and TMZ has the explanation for his prolonged absence: the actor has been in rehab, after developing an addiction to painkillers after shooting “300.”
Usually, the actor is very private and doesn't like to talk about his personal life all that much, which could explain why he never mentioned such a thing in his many interviews since the film came out.
However, fans must know that Butler did have some issues, with alcohol in particular, which he said he gave up in his 20s because it was causing him too many problems.
Now, TMZ says that he got into trouble again.
The good news, though, is that Gerry has already completed his treatment at the Betty Ford clinic and will come out today.
“Butler’s problems were triggered by the physical demands of shooting '300' in 2006. We’re told the actor began struggling with pain management, and the problem became exacerbated while filming 'Of Men and Mavericks,' when Butler was badly hurt on December 18 during a surfing accident,” TMZ reports.
He never got out of control or had the kind of issues that land other celebrities regularly in the tabloid media, but the pain was enough to make him see that he needed to get specialized help for his issues.
“We’re told Butler realized he was relying too much on prescription drugs and decided to head off a full-blown addiction by entering Betty Ford 3 weeks ago,” the aforementioned e-zine says.
“Sources tell TMZ, Butler also developed issues with cocaine, but the root problem appears to be the injuries and pain management. We’re told Butler will be leaving Betty Ford later today,” the celebrity publication writes.
The last time Butler was seen in public, ironically enough, was when TMZ paparazzi caught up with him and asked him about a reported one-week fling with reality star Brandi Glanville, who was once married to Eddie Cibrian.
He denied even knowing the woman.