Former Sky Sports News presenter Jim White has opened up on his battle with alcohol and how he felt he was “letting the viewers down” during his time on TV screens
Former Sky Sports News stalwart Jim White has disclosed how he felt he was failing viewers during his television broadcasts while battling alcohol issues. White, 68, joined Sky in 1998 and became one of the broadcaster’s most familiar personalities.
Particularly renowned for his presenting duties on Deadline Day, the Scottish journalist’s stint with the media giant concluded in 2021 following 23 years of employment.
In 2016, White commenced working for talkSPORT while maintaining his Sky commitments. He subsequently assumed Colin Murray’s position hosting the radio station’s breakfast show.
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Nevertheless, it was during his period at Sky that White grappled with a drinking problem. Having previously disclosed he’s remained teetotal since October 2011, he explored the effect it had on his profession during a guest appearance on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast.
“It was quite simply, I’d enjoy a drink too much,” he revealed. “As you know, everything I used to do when I worked in television, certainly at Sky, was live. Everything I do on the radio today is live.
“Recovering became a bit of an onerous task. I was spending too much time in a bar talking with people and giving them too much of my own time, and thinking I was more important than I actually was, and not really getting a grip on where I was at that particular time in my life.
“So I decided I’m drinking too much, it was hinted to me, ‘Maybe you want to cut down, maybe better than that, you want to quit.'” White has long enjoyed a friendship with Liverpool legend Graeme Souness, who had confronted his compatriot over his drinking habits.
White continued: “[Graeme] Souness said to me years ago when he was managing Benfica, ‘One thing I’ve been hearing about you is that you’re maybe drinking too much Jim.’ That was about six or seven years before I stopped, and I was like, ‘Really, Graeme, thanks for that’, and went right over my head and carried on.”
Confessing he had ignored Souness’ advice, White came to understand how alcohol was impacting his career and described how he felt he was failing the Sky Sports audience. “But I carried on, and it was a stupid thing to do, and it became apparent,” he added.
“I wasn’t recovering from a hangover as well as I should have been, I was occasionally looking a bit rough on TV. I wasn’t performing as well as I should and I was letting the viewers down. I was letting people close to me down, family members down but letting myself down.”
Wogan himself disclosed that he’s 30 years sober, as White responded: “I mean, look at us today. We can talk to each other, we feel happy, we feel healthy. We’re in a good state of mind.
“It’s about giving the best of yourself, and I wasn’t doing that, and people close to me were saying, ‘It’s obvious you’re not. So maybe have a think about this. How about stopping?'”
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