Rupert Everett is concerned he is becoming an alcoholic, and has permanently damaged his brain through drug use.

The flamboyant actor can currently been seen playing Professor Higgins in a new theatre production of Pygmalion being staged in London. It’s a role Rupert is thoroughly enjoying.

He has decided to give the play his all, but is worried it might be damaging his health. The 51-year-old is nervous about performing on stage, so has taken to drinking alcohol to calm himself.

“Apart from odd nights I don't stay up very late. The only thing that's going wrong is that I think I'm becoming an alcoholic,” he told British newspaper The Daily Mail. “I'm drinking more and rehearsing this play has almost driven me to alcohol because it’s so nerve-racking. Cider has become my new tipple!

“You can't take drugs when you're 50. I want my brain to continue functioning. The thing I'm worried about most now is brain disease.

“Having taken so many drugs in my life, I think, ‘Oh my God, what about all my neuro things? I don't think I ever had a drug problem - I just took a lot of drugs. But slowly I stopped and if I take any drugs now, it's just prescription pills.”

Rupert found tuning 50 hard, and admits he is a lot different now to how he used to be. He finds he is happier at home than being out on the town, and is less tolerant of people he meets. The star spends his spare time going for long walks, something he would never have done in his youth.

“At 50, you have to ask yourself, do you want to keep going or do you want to kind of spiral down. I think the whole of my life has been some sort of crisis. But there's nothing wrong with crisis. Everything grows out of a crisis,” he explained. “At 20 you can't stay at home because you're so worried that you'll miss out on something that's happening.

“Now I'm not very curious to meet anyone. I've met tons of people and in the film world it's all over-rated. I think everyone's better on film than actually meeting them.”

Rupert is openly gay, but has previously advised young actors against coming out. He doesn’t think the film industry is ready for homosexual stars, and thinks his decision has affected the kind of roles he’s been offered.

It’s an opinion Rupert still stands by – he remains convinced there is only room for gay men in Hollywood if they want to work behind the scenes.

“The movie business pretends it's liberal, but it's not,” he said. “It's run by lots of men who want to have sex with teenage girls. And they're not remotely interested in homosexual men, except maybe to paint a set or to make a lampshade or something.”