Nielsen: 'Marriage Made Me An Alcoholic'

Former actress BRIGITTE NIELSEN blames her previous marriage for turning her into an alcoholic - insisting she turned to drink because she was miserable.

The Danish-born star divorced her fourth husband, Raoul Meyer, in 2005 and is now married to Italian bartender Mattia Dessi.

Nielsen has long struggled with a dependency on alcohol, checking into rehab last year (07) in a final bid to kick her addiction.

And she insists that it was the collapse of her marriage to Meyer which sparked her alcoholism - as she was so unhappy when their relationship unraveled that she used drinking as an escape.

She says, "I believe my last marriage turned me into an alcoholic. I was so miserable and stayed (in the relationship) because of the kids, but in the end it was awful for them because we were arguing. Six or seven years, I hid the bottles. When you're that depressed you can't even do it (stop drinking) for your kids - that's the most disgusting thing."

Nielsen has two children Douglas, 15, and Raoul, 13, from her marriage to Meyer. She also has two other children from previous relationships.