Mel Gibson has revealed he was sober for years until two months before his July arrest.

He told Good Morning America’s Diane Sawyer: “Years go by, you’re fine. And then all of a sudden in a heartbeat, in an instant, on an impulse, somebody shoves a glass of Mescal [tequila] in front of your nose and says, ‘It’s from Oaxaca.’”

“And it’s burning its way through your oesophagus and you go, ‘Oh, man, what did I do that for?’ I can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.”

Mel joined a rehab programme after being charged for drink-driving and despite reports to the contrary, says he has been sober for the past 65 days: “All you can do is take another step, keep breathing.”