Sam and Billie Faiers share that their dad is in rebah for alcoholism as they tell him they're 'proud' of him
The Only Way is Essex stars Sam and Billie Faiers have spoken of her pride in their dad, who has checked in to rehab for help with his alcoholism.
33-year-old star Sam posted a series of images of herself and her step-dad, Dave Chatwood, on Instagram and praised him for seeking professional help with his alcohol issues.
Chatwood was previously married to their mum Suzie Wells but Sam and Billie both remain very close to him and call him their father.
In the lengthy caption which accompanied her carousel of images, Sam said: "As a family, we are so proud of you, Dad. Recently, you have faced a couple of difficult episodes due to your alcoholism.
"This is your first time in rehab, and we want you to know how much we love you and that we are here to support you through this journey.
"On my visit Dad wanted a curry & a head shave. Dad and I made a short video because he said he wants to share his journey and hopefully help others who are going through the same thing one day."
She then also posted the video, which showed herself and Chatwood sat together and speaking directly to the camera ahead of his rehab stint.
In the clip, Chatwood confirmed he had already completed two weeks of sobriety before heading to rehab. He said: "I'm going into my first 12 steps of living a clean life. It is going to be a very hard battle but I am quite determined to do it."
Sam then chipped in with words of support and said: "You can do it, Dad.” Chatwood then continued: "It's been a good day today because Samantha's come down to see me."
Sam went on to add that the pair were just sat in the car outside The Sanctuary Lodge, an Essex based alcohol and drug rehab centre. They then revealed he would then move to Bournemouth for the rest of his treatment as Sam added further words of encouragement: "You can do this!", she said.
Sam’s mum Suzie was among the first to comment on the post. She said: “Dad will do this, I have every bit of faith in him”, alongside three love heart emojis. Sam also a screenshot of her Instagram inbox as she said she’s been sent many private messages of support for her dad from her fans.
34-year-old Billie, meanwhile, also shared a photo of herself and Chatwood alongside a lengthy caption in which she commended Chatwood for his bravery. She said: “We are so proud of you pups. Today we went to visit dad in rehab. This has been a huge, life changing step for my dad and us as family , a few weeks ago dad was faced with some extremely scary heath issues due to his addiction to alcohol, as a family we love and support him and he made the decision it was time to go to rehab and we are so proud of him.
Speaking directly to her dad in the last part of her caption, she said: “Dad you are so brave and we have every faith in you. Dad has always been very honest about his journey and we are all very grateful for the kind messages of support and for anyone who is going through the same or a similar situation, you may find comfort and support that you are not alone. We love you @chatty.dave. We know it is early days but this is the first step to a new beginning.”
Mum Suzie also left the same comment on the post as she had done on younger sister Sam’s post. Billie’s husband Greg Shepherd also commented and showed his support for his father-in-law. He said: “1 day at a time @chatty.dave you’ve got this! #chatty2.0.”