Bradley Cooper has spoken out about “feeling lost” during his addictions to drugs and alcohol two decades ago, before making “major breakthroughs” and becoming a father.

The 47 year old welcomed his daughter Lea in 2017 with his then-partner Irina Shayk and has since gone on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful leading actors.

Bradley candidly discussed his experience struggling with addiction in his late twenties as he appeared on the Smartless podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

“I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing,” he said.

The Hangover star revealed that he turned to alcohol and drugs after he severed his Achilles tendon and “got fired, slash quit” from early 2000s US action drama Alias.

Bradley explained that podcast host and friend Will, 52, helped him realise he was suffering from addiction issues after the pair attended a party together.

The Arrested Development actor was left unimpressed by Bradley’s attempts at “mean humour” and told him that he was acting like a “real asshole” during the evening.

“That was the first time I realised I had a problem with drugs and alcohol and it was Will saying that to me, and I’ll just never forget it,” Bradley continued.

The star acknowledged that, while he was “totally depressed” at the time, he is thankful he experienced the issues as a young man ahead of his peak with fame.

Bradley said: “I will say this: I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29. So at 29, it wasn’t really until The Hangover – I was 36 when I did The Hangover – so I got to go through all of those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level.”

Bradley played the role of Phil in the award-winning comedy which was released in 2009 and went on to star in the film's two sequels.

The actor spent time overcoming his addictions as he developed his career and admitted that he was “still working on self-esteem up until a year ago”, despite his struggles with substances being behind him.

“I definitely made major breakthroughs from 29 to 34, where at least I was able to stand in front of somebody and breath and listen and talk,” Bradley added.

His most pivotal moment he recited was when his daughter was born as he said: “Fatherhood is, I mean everything changed… everything is brought out in glorious colours by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being. It’s just the absolute greatest thing.”

Since splitting with model Irina in 2019, Bradley has been sharing custody of his daughter Lea.

While speaking on the podcast, he played an audio clip of his daughter singing Baha Men’s Who Let the Dogs Out, which features in the first Hangover movie, and revealed he subsequently texted his co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms: “Hangover 4, let’s do it!”

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