Stephen Fry opens up on drug addiction and marriage in powerful episode of The Assembly

Sir Stephen Fry became incredibly candid in tonight's episode of The Assembly, as the star faced a range of no-holds-barred questions that no chat show or press junket has ever dared to ask.

Fry is the first of six famous faces taking part in the series in which a group of inquisitive interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled, put their questions to the celebrities - and no topic is out of bounds.

In tonight's episode (8 April), Fry faced a number of questions about his career and personal life and in one of the early parts of the episode, he was asked by one contributor how much he has spent on cocaine, to which Fry responded: "There was a period where I was an addict to the stuff and in those days, it was was £60 a gram and I probably wasted thousands."

Fry has been very open about his battle with cocaine addiction in the '80s and '90s, having documented his struggles in a 2014 memoir More Fool Me.

He continued: "I wouldn't recommend anybody to do it, obviously, but I'd also recommend we all be very grown up about it and we understand why people seem to want to do it and maybe find a better answer than simply condemning everybody for doing it because in the world, the most important thing is to be effective, not to be right. But to find a way to solve a problem."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Fry was asked what he says to people who dislike age gap relationships, referring to his 30-year age gap with his husband Elliott Spencer.

"I feel a bit sorry for them. I don’t see why they should have such an opinion about things," he said, adding: "The only thing that should matter in a relationship is love and if you feel it."

He went on to push back on assumptions about power dynamics in his marriage, telling the group: "I mean, I always say to people that in our relationship, Elliot has all the power, really," noting that Spencer "makes a lot of the decisions".

After tonight's episode, up next is former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, followed by comedy legend Sir Lenny Henry, actor Anna Maxwell Martin and BRIT award-winning rapper and I'm A Celebrity star Aitch.

There is also a surprise in store for viewers, as a sixth and final celebrity to round off the star-studded cast is yet to be announced and will be confirmed at a later date.

The first season of the show, featuring Danny Dyer, David Tennant, Jade Thirlwall and Gary Lineker, received critical acclaim.

The Assembly continues on Friday 10 April at 10:05pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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