Jackass star Bam Margera almost lost his legs in harrowing alcohol addiction battle

TV star Bam Margera has shared that his years-long battle with alcohol nearly cost him his legs.

The 45-year-old Jackass personality, whose full name is Brandon Cole Margera, opened up about the harrowing toll his drinking took on his body while attending the launch event for the new skateboarding video game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.

"You know I got lost for a little while and I didn’t skate for 10 years," he told TMZ, comparing his return to the spotlight to Elvis Presley's iconic 1968 Comeback Special. "And I realised ‘what made me happy? What got me to where I was then?’ And it was skateboarding."

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Margera credited his wife Dannii Marie, who is a stretch coach, with helping him rebuild his strength and health. He went on to describe the alarming state his legs were in after years of heavy drinking.

"You know in 2013, the doctor said they were dry-rotted rubber bands from alcohol abuse so I kind of lost hope," he admitted. "But now they are back to 100 percent. I’m skating again."

"My passion’s back and I know that if I just focus on skateboarding then everything else comes along with it. You know, when you love what you do and people can see that. That’s when everything else comes with it. You know, I’m an 100 percent skateboarder so I’m just gonna stick to that unless I’m too injured."

Margera’s appearance at the game’s launch marked a big step in him turning his life around. In May he surprised fans by looking healthy and upbeat on a red carpet as he posed for photos with his wife.

The couple attended a private dinner in Los Angeles after the event, where Margera was also reunited with long-time friend and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

In recent years, Margera has faced significant personal and legal struggles. In 2021 Margera was dismissed from the film Jackass Forever after allegedly breaching a wellness agreement tied to his participation.

His troubles continued in 2023 when he was arrested twice. The first time was for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend during a domestic dispute, and he was arrested again for causing a disturbance at a Burbank restaurant where his estranged wife, Nicole Boyd, and their son Phoenix were dining.

Margera was released from jail last September after a DUI parole violation and entered short-term treatment. His attorney, Michael T. van der Veen, has told the Daily Mail that Margera is "back on the road to his successful career and wonderful life with his wife".

Van der Veen added that Margera has been sober for over a year and is now focused on moving forward with his life. The court previously sentenced him to six months of probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, with conditions that included random drug screening and mental health treatment.

Margera expressed gratitude for the opportunity to change his life’s trajectory, telling the judge, "I just want to say thanks for this whole situation. It lets me clean up my life. It is a blessing in disguise."

In an interview with MediaNews Group that same month, Margera acknowledged how close he’d come to a breaking point. "With the path I was on with alcohol and drugs, I needed to hit some rock bottom to turn things around," he added.

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