Referring to the scandal, the former Tallahassee mayor says, 'My stuff had to be public and cause great embarrassment,' before thanking his wife R. Jai for choosing 'to love me anyhow.'
- Jul 21, 2020
AceShowbiz - Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has reemerged after he entered rehab facility for his alcohol addiction and depression following a meth scandal. Taking to his Instagram account on Monday, July 20, Gillum offered an update on his personal life in addition to thanking everyone for the support.
In the 11-minute long video, Gillum admitted to being in a depressive state due to losing Florida's governor race. "It was a constant reminder of failure, my own personal failures. It was a reminder that I had let so many people down. It was a chorus of this voice that I tried for so long to quiet. That depression around what I was experiencing there became far too much for me to keep down," he shared.
"A lot of times we think we're dealing with it. We're strong, and it bubbles up on the inside, but eventually, it's gonna come out. I certainly know what it felt like to see that come out," he continued.
"I went away to rehab to focus on my issues with alcoholism, having grown up in a household where my father battled addiction to alcohol, and later died from that addiction," Gillum, who went into rehab after Miami Beach police found him intoxicated in a hotel room with a male prostitute back in March, said in the video. "I knew well the toll it took on my father's dreams and ambitions."
Referring to the scandal, he went on to say, "My stuff had to be public and cause great embarrassment and cause rumors, false, some true. The shame I felt from all that from the harm that I caused was tearing me up... I needed help to unpack that." He then thanked his wife, R. Jai, calling her "a woman who knows everything that I am and everything I am not. And she chooses to love me anyhow, a woman who is literally God's grace on earth."
Captioning the post, Gillum wrote, "I am thankful to so many of you who have wished me well during this especially challenging time. I wanted to provide a personal update on how I have been doing. Take good care of yourselves during this season and I will see you on the other side. Warmest, Andrew."
Gillum, who is married with three children, made headlines after he was found drunk and stripping down to nothing as he lied on the floor inside a Miami hotel room with two other men, Aldo Mejias and Travis Dyson. Also found in the room were plastic bags with suspected crystal meth inside. The photos, which were obtained by Daily Mail from police under Freedom of Information law, featured empty beer bottles and prescription pills scattered among trash and soiled sheets that were covered in bodily fluids.
After the news first broke, Gillum was quick to release a statement in which he denied using meth. Gillum explained that he was in Miami for a wedding celebration. He added, "I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement. I'm thankful to the incredible Miami Beach EMS team for their efforts. I will spend the next few weeks with my family and appreciate privacy during this time."
