2 weeks Ago By Hollie Beale
Denzel Washington has opened up about his past indulgence in fine wines , admitting to spending as much as $8,000 a day on the luxury beverage. The 69-year-old actor, currently starring in Ridley Scott's sequel, Gladiator II, has since embarked on a health and fitness overhaul, significantly reducing his wine consumption which was costing him hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ridley Scott says Russell Crowe wanted to star in Gladiator II despite death Denzel Washington hints at retirement as 'there's little films left for me' In an interview with Esquire magazine, Denzel revealed that it was singer Lenny Kravitz who inspired his new lifestyle, saying: "I wanna hook you up with a trainer.
" Since adopting this new approach, Denzel has not only lost weight but also feels stronger. He said: "I started with him February of last year. He makes the meals for me and we're training, and I'm now 190-something pounds on my way to 185.
"I was looking at pictures of myself and Pauletta at the Academy Awards for Macbeth, and I'm just looking fat, with this dyed hair, and I said, 'Those days are over, man.' I feel like I'm getting strong. Strong is important.
" Reflecting on his past, Denzel recalled the late 1990s when he would enjoy a bottle or two of wine daily, and even had a collection of 10,000 bottles in his cellar. Recounting his struggle with alcohol, Denzel disclosed: "Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that's what was left. And then later in those years I'd call Gil Turner's Fine Wines and Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, 'Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.
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He elaborated: "I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that, which is what it was at first. And that's a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best.
I drank the best." Then with candor, he shared: "I've done a lot of damage to the body. We'll see.
I've been clean. Be 10 years this December. I stopped at 60 and I haven't had a thimble's worth since.
"Things are opening up for me now – like being 70. It's real. And it's OK.
This is the last chapter – if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother made it to 97.".
