[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Bam Margera is opening up about how his new fiancée Dannii Marie helped get him back on the right path — when he was in his darkest hour.
As Perezcious readers likely know, the Jackass alum was having a hell of a time over the summer as he dealt with substance abuse issues and a slew of other personal problems, including an estrangement from his son, Phoenix. According to TMZ at the time, he was found acting erratically outside Trejo’s Tacos in El Lay in June before being placed on a 5150 hold.
After he was let out of the hospital, he checked into the Sunset Marquis Hotel — where he ultimately met his soon-to-be wife. But not before coming very close to ending his own life.
Related: Bam Margera Gets A Britney Spears-Inspired Tattoo?!
In a new interview with Us Weekly on Thursday, the Jackass alum revealed he had no intention of leaving the hotel alive. He explained:
“I didn’t plan on checking out. I bought a bunch of drugs and I didn’t want to wake up. I had so many lawsuits and lawyers taking my money, and not being on Jackass and having a lawsuit with them. Any time I got a phone call, it was just an issue.”
The Viva La Bam alum had made suicidal threats online around this time, but it’s gut-wrenching to hear he actually followed through with it. Noting that he felt like he was at rock bottom, Bam decided to pray:
“I was like, ‘If I wake up from this amount of drugs and alcohol that I bought, then please show me the best eye candy in the world — and I need a tan pit bull.’”
Not the prayer we were expecting! But, thankfully, whichever deity he was praying to was on his side! Despite it seeming like a wild request, Bam miraculously survived the night only to have his prayers answered:
“The next morning I woke up at the Sunset Marquis [and] I’m like, ‘S**t, I’m alive.’ I went by the pool and overheard [Dannii] talking about how she’s 44, Sicilian and Irish. When I met her, she said, ‘I have to go home and walk my dog’ — a tan pit bull. […] I was like, ‘Thank you, God.’”
Whoa!
Dannii, who is a stretch coach, helped get the reality star sober and was by his side as he detoxed. She even helped get him back into shape so he could skateboard again, the stunt performer dished:
“Stretching has everything to do with skateboarding. I would do it for five minutes and give up. [A] doctor said that in 2013, [my muscles] were so dehydrated from alcohol abuse. They were dry rotted rubber bands and they would never go back to normal. […] Dannii said, ‘Don’t listen to that.’ I’ve been skating better than ever — now, I skate every day.”
Amazing! Plus, you know, pit bull!
Most importantly, though, Dannii seems to be a good influence on him when it comes to not drinking. He’s now 130 days sober and hopeful for the future, which includes his career. Noting that “every sponsor that I used to have, they all want to do something again,” he shared:
“I call the mom-and-pop skate shops, let them know that I’m coming that way, [and] all the locals that rip show me the good spots.”
Of course, his son, with whom he just won monitored visitations, is also a top priority. All of this sounds so good. We sincerely hope he continues on this positive trajectory. And we’re so, so glad he lived to see another day after that heartbreaking night in the hotel!
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Image via Dr. Phil/YouTube & Bam Margera/Instagram]
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