Lorri Haines recalls childhood trauma of watching his parents spend all their money on alcohol while he was forced to go to school with holes in his shoes and uniform before turning to drink himself

Lorri Haines reflected on the trauma he experienced as a child when he was left without basic necessities because his parents spent all their money on alcohol.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur, who is the fiancé of TOWIE star Ferne McCann, exclusively told MailOnline he would go to school with holes in his shoes and uniform because his mother and stepfather were unwilling to replace them.

Lorri has teamed up with Nacoa, a charity that helps anyone who has been “affected by their parents’ drinking.” He said he wished his parents “had done more” to help him, seeing their behavior, adding that he had his first drink at the age of 12.

He told MailOnline: ‘I’ve always believed my parents could have done more.

Before he [stepfather] “After he finished his eight beers, maybe he could have saved some of that money and bought me shoes so I wouldn’t have to walk around with holes in them.”

Lorri, who grew up in social housing, added: ‘Maybe he should have tried a little harder instead of worrying about cigarettes and alcohol.

‘And that’s the only negative side of the matter that I can name and say about it: it could have been very different.

‘Maybe if you only drink on the weekends, that’s not good. I really don’t approve of it.

‘But just try to take baby steps. Why don’t you just have a drink on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and give yourself three days off.

‘Those beers and cigarettes could have earned us an extra £10 to £15 a week. And maybe that could have earned me a school uniform so I wouldn’t have to be embarrassed about going to school with holes in my clothes. There are little things I could have changed.’

Lorri – who is now an ambassador for Nacoa – explained that his “mother and most of her partners drank growing up” and “argued and fought frequently.”

HHe grew up without his biological father, but had two stepfathers. One of them left the family when Lorri was seven, and the other eventually drank himself to death.

Lorri explained that his second stepfather was only 47 when he died, but he had suffered from liver and kidney failure as a result of alcohol consumption.

The TV personality explained: ‘He basically drank himself to death. He drank about eight cans of beer every night, throughout my entire childhood.

‘When I was 17/18, his health deteriorated very rapidly.

It got to the point where he would put cans of beer and vodka next to his bed.

“He would wake up in the night and drink it because if he didn’t have enough of it in his system, his body would shut down.”

Lorri currently has no contact with his mother or biological father.

Lori talks about the impact it had on him when he saw his parents drinking. She says he started drinking in parks at the age of 12 and later spent every weekend in the pub.

But after dealing with his issues and working through his childhood trauma, he stopped drinking and has been sober for eight months.

Lorri is strongly against the drinking culture and would like to ‘abolish’ alcohol.

Lorri now lives a full and down-to-earth life as a businessman and loving father.

He and his fiancée Ferne welcomed baby Finty last year and he is also stepfather to their five-year-old daughter Sunday, who she shares with her ex, jailed acid attacker Arthur Collins.

Lorri also has a five-year-old son named Noah with his ex-partner.

He has been working with Nacoa for 18 months and recently spoke in parliament in the hope of promoting their campaign for new support to help children of alcoholic parents.

The previous British government, led by the Conservative Party, introduced a new strategy in 2018 that included measures to provide children living with alcoholic parents with early access to support and advice.

At the time it was backed by £6m of funding, but to date Labour has not committed to reintroducing the strategy or funding to support children of alcoholics, after the last proposed plan was quietly withdrawn in 2021.

The funding included a ‘£4.5 million innovation fund for local authorities to develop plans to improve outcomes for children of alcohol-dependent parents’, as well as £1 million to fund national capacity building by non-governmental organisations.

Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics) was founded in 1990 to meet the needs of children who are struggling with an alcohol or similar addiction problem of one of their parents.

This applies to children of all ages, as many of their problems only become apparent in adulthood.

The Nacoa helpline is free and confidential, meaning it is a safe place to talk about things that are going on with you and how you are feeling.

Whatever you want to discuss, it is important to us. Sometimes it helps to just talk or write to someone.

When you call or email, you can tell us as much or as little as you want. Your calls and emails can be long or short, and you can contact us as often as you want.’

Lorri says about the foundation: ‘I have worked really hard to no longer be defined by those challenges in my youth. I want to build a life where I make positive choices and have fulfilling, loving relationships.

“I want to help others leave their past behind so they can create a happier story for themselves in the future. I am very happy that I can do that through Nacoa.”

According to the NHS website, alcohol dependence is the biggest risk factor for premature death, ill health and disability among 15 to 49 year olds in England.

In 2020, one in three alcohol-related deaths occurred among the most deprived 20 percent of the population, increasing health inequalities.

If you feel this article or alcoholism has affected you, please contact Nacoa for free on 0800 358 3456.