Jeremy McConnell: ‘I can’t wait to be a dad again – I won’t make the same mistakes’

As he prepares to become a father with girlfriend Katie, Jeremy McConnell opens up about his roller coaster life, repairing himself after drug addiction and his heartache over his first child

He’s spent the last two years “living under a rock” by his own admission, after his high-octane lifestyle came crashing down following drug addiction, a string of devastating deaths in his family, a prison sentence and an explosive on/off high-profile relationship with actress Stephanie Davis,with whom he has two-year-old son Caben-Albi.

And Jeremy McConnell admits the past few years – which saw him on a “self-sabotaging path” – nearly led to his own “demise”. Following the breakdown of his relationship with the Hollyoaks actress after they infamously met on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, the Irish model was found guilty of assault in August 2017, and was handed a suspended prison sentence. After breaching the terms of his community service order when he flew to Turkey for a hair transplant, Jeremy was sent to jail in December that year for 34 days and spent Christmas Day behind bars.

But as Closer meets the star alongside his seven-months-pregnant solicitor girlfriend Katie McCreath – who headed his legal team during his court appearances – his calmer temperament indicates he’s in a much better place. In fact, as he reflects on his former self, Jeremy – who has slowly rebuilt his life after quitting drugs and alcohol –admits he struggles to recognise the person that made dramatic headlines over the years.

Jeremy, 29, tells Closer, “Today, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m healthy, I’m in a stable relationship and I have a baby girl on the way. But I do look back and think ‘What the f*** was all that? I don’t relate to the person I used to be, and prison was the biggest wake-up call.

"I know only too well about the ins and outs of struggling with drugs, but while I was locked up I had a lot of time to think and said, ‘I’m either going to learn from this, or I’ll die.’ I knew I couldn’t make the same mistakes. I wanted to set out and be a better father to my son in the future, and I had to change my ways. I haven’t touched drugs since leaving prison.

“Katie was the only person to visit me while I was locked up. She’s been the most constant thing in my life and the biggest support structure.”

It’s no secret that Jeremy’s romance with Katie has been unconventional. Katie was regularly pictured as part of his defence team, and the pair were rumoured to be dating. They fuelled speculation after they were snapped holding hands on social media 12 months after Jeremy’s proceedings.

While he’s adamant their relationship didn’t start until at least six months after he served his prison sentence, Jeremy credits her for pulling him back from the brink.

He explains, “I know how it looked, that I’d shacked up with my lawyer,but it wasn’t the case. People were acting like I burst through the door of the law firm and ripped off my shirt and wooed her, but it wasn’t like that. We met during the trial and were friends long before anything happened. Katie looked beyond the headlines and saw me for who I am.

Jeremy – who spiralled into “depression and anxiety” after losing his father to cancer in March 2017,having tragically lost his mum, brother and sister in the space of 15 months as a teenager – adds, “It’s not like I met her and everything in my life was perfect. Obviously, I had a lot of healing to do.

"I lost key figures in my family, I was suffering with depression, drugs sent me into a state of paranoia and life became toxic. This time, there were no drugs or drink or infidelities and I was able to repair and calm myself down and take time out to find me again.”

Despite his turbulent past and his reputation as a “playboy”, Katie, 34, admits she wasn’t fazed by Jeremy’s history. In fact, Katie admits she had no idea who he was when they first met. She says, “I hadn’t watched Big Brother and I had to look up Jeremy on Wikipedia, so I had no preconceived ideas. To me, he is just Jeremy. The biggest misconception is that I was his lawyer, but I’m actually head of the defence firm that was dealing with his matter– I wasn’t representing him personally. My area of expertise is financial and serious crime in the higher courts.

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“Of course, I’d read things and I was aware he could be a bit of a charmer, but he was different with me, he was just my friend. I found him easy to be around, and not how he was portrayed. We just hung out together, went to the cinema, had meals out and took trips to the zoo, and it was fun.

"We even went out and bought Patsy, our pet Chihuahua. We slept in separate rooms and had nights in chatting and belly laughing. He fitted in with my friends and family and threw himself into looking after my horses and animals. He was seriously depressed when we met, but being in the countryside and away from everything he knew helped him to get better.

"Eventually, things turned romantic and it felt natural because of how well we knew each other – he’s just my best friend.”

Poignantly, Katie reveals their happiness was blighted by tragedy after the couple suffered a miscarriage earlier this year. She adds, “I suffered a miscarriage and it was heartbreaking. Jeremy couldn’t have been more supportive and it really upset us both. I hadn’t thought about children, as I’m massively career-driven, but after experiencing the loss of one, I realised I wanted a family. I’ve watched Jeremy turn his life around and I knew he’d be a doting dad.”

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And while he’s over the moon to become a father again, Jeremy insists he’ll “never forget” about his son, despite the fact he hasn’t been able to see him for nearly two years.

While he constantly made headlines for his partying lifestyle, the star – who now works as a director of leading hair transplant clinic Hair Of Istanbul – says, “Of course people say ‘What are your daughter and son going to think of you when they look at old pictures?’ Well, for me, that’s a lesson in itself.

"I know I’ll have to sit them down and show them what I’ve dealt with. I’m not a counsellor, but I try to help others from my experiences on social media. I wouldn’t have liked the old Jeremy either, but I’ve totally changed my life and I can’t wait to be Dad. I’ve replaced my addictions for the gym and overall health – I feel incredible being sober. Katie’s helped me turn my life around, and I’m grateful I have a second chance at life.”

Read more in this week's Closer magazine, out now.