Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, best known for playing Mandy Dingle, has marked a major personal milestone by celebrating 11 years of sobriety. The actress, who turned 50 and received an MBE earlier in 2026, took to Instagram this week to share the achievement with fans and followers.
Lisa Riley's sobriety journey and personal struggles
Riley posted an image of a mug reading '11 years sober today' alongside a heartfelt caption. 'A day to be incredibly proud – 11 years sober today. To feel so free,' she wrote. 'Honestly, truly, now I've escaped from anything that destroyed being the truest me! Each and every day I live life to the fullest – never wasting one minute – and certainly not wasting a second in a fog of fake!'
She added: 'My life is mine – which frankly is full of love and fun – I've created a life that does not require numbness for survival.'
The actress had previously spoken openly about her relationship with alcohol. 'I was self-medicating with alcohol, I wasn't sleeping because I'd lost my mum and I wasn't coping very well,' she explained. 'A bottle and a half, two bottles helped me completely in those times and it was just a game I played with myself. I'm going to try and get through a christening, I'm going to try and get through Christmas without it and all of a sudden you become obsessed with the fact I can say 'nine years ago'.'
Support from fellow celebrities and fans
Riley's announcement was met with an outpouring of support from co-stars, friends and fans. Angry Ginge, who appeared with Riley on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, commented: 'GO ON LISA'. Fellow jungle alumni Gemma Collins added a string of clapping emojis. The Sober Girl Society wrote: 'We love this so much! Congratulations lovely Lisa!'.
Scarlett Moffatt posted: 'So proud of you', while former Loose Women co-stars Ruth Langsford and Denise Welsh added: 'You're amazing' and 'So proud of you', respectively.
Reflecting on a transformative year
In a follow-up post, Riley shared an image created by a friend, with her face placed atop sunshine spread across a UK weather map. 'This is so kind what one of my most loyal friends ever sent me this tonight…' she began the caption. 'After sharing with you all my anniversary of being 11 years sober – she made me this saying…'My best mate Lisa spreads sunshine all over the country'. That is the cutest I'm so touched. Love it!'
Riley's 11-year sobriety milestone caps a remarkable year that has already seen her receive an MBE and celebrate her 50th birthday. The actress reflected on her journey, saying: 'I never thought that I'd be here now but I love it. The fake of me has completely gone and I don't ever want to have that back and it's a better place to be.'
