TELEVISION presenter Gail Porter has revealed she plans to travel to South Africa for three months in a bid to overcome alcohol addiction and depression.
The 41-year-old is taking part in a revolutionary rehab programme in Cape Town which will see her living in sparse accommodation, cut off from her friends and family.
The only connection the Scot will have with the outside world will be through Skype calls to her nine-year-old daughter.
Miss Porter said: "I'm terrified. I'm scared to death. But I also think this is the happiest I've ever been. I think this is the best thing I could do to get me out of the state I'm in."
The former model, whose naked image was projected on to the Houses of Parliament in 1999, suffered depression as a teenager in Edinburgh and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
She lost her hair in 2005, suffering from alopecia following the breakdown of her marriage to Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave.
She has also lost her mother, two grandparents and uncle over the past few years.
Last year she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after doctors wrongly feared she was suicidal.
The presenter added: "I've always had an addictive personality. It isn't just drinking. I'm addicted to everything, even to cleaning. Recently, I've put on a brave face in the media but the truth is that I'm really upset.
"I am totally committed to getting better."
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