Friday, 12 September 2008

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Tatum O'Neal: I was so close to relapsing

Actress tells Oprah Winfrey she is clean and sober

Tatum O'Neal is the daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal and was once married to tennis ace John McEnroe

Tatum O'Neal has spoken out about her arrest for drug possession.

The Oscar-winning actress was caught buying crack cocaine on a street near her New York home on 1 June.

But she insists she never took the Class A drugs.

‘There's no good way to talk about what happened to me,’ she tells chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

‘I can't explain it, except that I know what I can do today to make it better for myself. I got close to relapsing. It was close enough. Too close for comfort.’

Tatum, 44, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and entered a plea deal that required her to complete a drug-treatment course and pay a fine.

She has had a long history of drug misuse, battling her addiction since she was 14.

If everything is completed to the court's satisfaction, the charges will be dropped.

Alison Adey