Gerard Butler in rehab
By PETE SAMSON, U.S. Editor
MOVIE hardman Gerard Butler is said to have checked into a US rehab clinic because he feared he'd overdone the painkillers for a dodgy BACK.
The Scot, 42, popped the prescription pills to tackle his lumber agony that first surfaced on hit film 300 — the flick which turned him into a global superstar.
But it was claimed he'd sought help after fearing that his reliance on the medication would develop into a full-blown addiction.
Butler reportedly checked into the Betty Ford Centre in Rancho Mirage, California, three weeks ago — and left the facility yesterday.
Last night a spokesman confirmed: "Gerard has completed a successful course of treatment and has returned home in good health.
"We will not be making any further comment at this time."
Paisley-born Butler's pain is understood to have been triggered by the gruelling scenes he filmed in 2007 for battle blockbuster 300, in which he played Spartan King Leonidas.
And a surfing accident while shooting upcoming flick Of Men And Mavericks in California made matters worse.
Previously the actor — whose six-pack in 300 sent female fans swooning — spoke of the pain he endured getting his physique up to scratch to play Leonidas.
Rehab centre ... the Betty Ford clinic in California
"It's kind of weird. You feel a little lost. You don't have to hold yourself the same way physically.
"There was definitely a period of adjustment and physical pain because I stopped training.
"That was the worst thing I could have done."
In December Butler was shooting upcoming surfing flick Of Men And Mavericks in California when he was thrown off his board and pummelled by 12ft waves.
Pain ... in flick 300
Speaking about the accident in January, Butler said: 'It was a pretty close call. The waves just took me in, and I couldn't get up.
"It was hairy. It was maybe one of the few times that reports were not exaggerated."
Butler's drugs misery is not the only problem he has battled. He also had a long history of booze problems — after hitting the bottle when he was just 14.
Then when he was just 22 when he took a year off from his legal studies at Glasgow University and headed to LA, where he was arrested repeatedly for drunken behaviour.
And earlier this year he admitted how he decided to quit booze before it killed him.
He said: "I had gone from a 16-year-old who couldn't wait to grasp life to a 22-year-old who didn't care if he died in his sleep. I used to drink until I couldn't remember anything. I was just mad for it and on a death wish.
"One or two drinks was never enough for me. I was a foot-on-the-floor-all-the-way drinker, so it had to go. I don't miss it."
Butler has been linked to a string of beautiful stars including Jennifer Aniston, 43.
He added: "I'm very well behaved these days. A lot of the naughty stuff was when I was drinking."
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