Tom Holland says sobriety was the ‘toughest challenge’ of his life, reveals fiancée Zendaya is ‘incredibly proud’

Tom Holland has opened up about his battle with alcohol, admitting the first year of his sobriety was the “toughest” of his life.

“I had a problem,” said the Spider-Man star as he spoke on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast ahead of his 30th birthday.

During the candid chat, the star revealed: “I just couldn’t put it down and it was affecting my professional life. It was affecting my personal life and my health.”

So he decided to quit.

Holland has been sober since 2022. He shared the role fiancée Zendaya, 29, has played in his sobriety journey as someone who “has never drank”.

“I got through that first year which I think was the toughest challenge that I’ve ever been on,” he admitted.

Read more

Tom Holland and Zendaya's complete relationship timeline

The two stars were reported to be dating at the time. It was during that year Holland realised there were “limited” non-alcoholic drink options.

By October 2024, the Odyssey actor launched his own non-alcoholic brand BERO. He revealed his latest range was inspired by his fiancée.

“Z has never drank. She’s never been a drinker... which means she never found the taste for beer,” he told Poehler.

“She’s incredibly proud of BERO, it’s just... she doesn’t enjoy the stuff I’m trying to sell,” he laughed.

So, he created a new drink for Zendaya to “enjoy”, a shandy that is half non-alcohol beer and half lemonade.

One fan found the sentiment incredibly sweet as they commented: “He made her her own drink. He lovers her so much.”

“Ugh to be loved to the point of invention,” said another, with both comments amassing over 2.2k likes, each.

The power couple are set to reunite on screen for two major projects this year: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth film in the Marvel series, and Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated drama The Odyssey.

Read more

This film has the biggest A-list lineup of the past decade

The epic blockbuster features a massive cast led by Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.

Speaking on the podcast, Holland said he loves watching how “fearless” Zendaya is as an actress.

“I think she’s the best actor going. I really think she has something special,” he gushed.

As far as sharing the screen and spotlight with her, he added: “I couldn’t imagine doing what I do without her”.