Why Kit Harington checked into rehab

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has checked into a “wellness retreat”, according to his publicist.

The British actor reportedly arrived at the Prive-Swiss centre in Connecticut a few weeks before the finale of the hit HBO show was screened on 20 May.

“Kit has decided to utilise this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues,” his publicist said.

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Page Six claims that “multiple sources” say Harington checked into “luxury rehab for stress and alcohol use” after the show’s ending “really hit him hard”.

The 32-year-old, who played Jon Snow in the epic fantasy series, “has been undergoing psychological coaching, practicing mindful meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy to combat stress and deal with negative emotions at the facility, which costs over $120,000 a month”, says the celebrity news site.

Messages of support have poured in from fans, with many praising his decision to seek help.

Variety notes that Harington, like many of the other GoT stars, has “come into adulthood in front of a huge audience”.

In an interview with the magazine earlier this year, he said: “My darkest period was when the show seemed to become so much about Jon, when he died and came back.”

He described the intense speculation about Jon’s cliffhanger ending in 2015 as “f***ing terrifying” and revealed that he began therapy around that time.

“It wasn’t a very good time in my life,” he added. “I felt I had to feel that I was the most fortunate person in the world, when actually, I felt very vulnerable. I had a shaky time in my life around there - like I think a lot of people do in their 20s.”

The actor has also struggled more recently, amid the growing buzz as GoT neared its conclusion.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he admitted that he had been “very shocked and surprised” when he found out that his character would kill his lover Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) in the final episode. “I blubbed my eyes out. I cried,” he said.

And he had been overwhelmed with grief while shooting the final scenes, Harington told Esquire magazine.

“My final day of shooting, I felt fine... I felt fine... I felt fine... then I went to do my last shots and started hyperventilating a bit,” he said. “Then they called ‘wrap’ and I just f***ing broke down. It was this onslaught of relief and grief about not being able to do this again.”

Describing the moment when the wardrobe team helped him take off his costume for the final time, he added: “It felt like being skinned... It felt like they were unceremoniously for the last time ripping off this character.”