Tom Hardy Opens Up About His Health Struggles: “It’s All Falling Apart”

Tom Hardy recently opened up about the toll aging and action roles have taken on his body, citing knee surgeries, back issues, and sciatica.

The 47-year-old further explored possible remedies such as stem cell therapy and tinctures, all the while maintaining his dedication to jiu-jitsu, an activity he describes as both humbling and ego-deflating.

Previously, Tom Hardy has opened up about his battles with addiction in his youth, narrating his road to recovery following a tumultuous past.

During an interview with Esquire, Hardy acknowledged experiencing the effects of middle age, conceding that the physical toll from years of exertion in action-packed movie roles is beginning to show.

Opening up about a growing list of health issues, the 47-year-old actor revealed: “I got dizzy today. I took a Sudafed and it’s starting to work, so I feel better, but in the interviews, I was sitting there, and you know when you feel not right, but you can’t tell someone you don’t feel right?”

Hardy, known for throwing himself into intense action roles, listed a string of physical complaints, sharing: “I’ve had two knee surgeries now, my disc’s herniated in my back, I’ve got sciatica as well.”

“And I have that… is it plantar fasciitis? Where did that come from? And why? Why?!” he added with disbelief, “It’s like, it’s all falling to bits now, and it’s not going to get better.”

Hardy also spoke about exploring new ways to manage his physical decline. When asked whether he’d consider stem cell therapy, the “Inception” actor said he’s open to it.

“I think if it comes down to the wire and it seems the sensible thing to do and I take advice,” Hardy noted.

He also mentioned alternative remedies, including personalized homeopathic solutions like tinctures.

Hardy joked about the surreal setting of the interview: “This is the biopsy of where we’re at: two vapes, somebody else’s clothes, and a hotel room that neither of us feels comfortable in!”

Despite the toll on his body, Hardy remains disciplined with his jiu-jitsu training.

Reflecting on his past attempts to project toughness, he said, “I did the posturing bit of boxing and hitting mitts, and trying to be a bloke. But ultimately I was sort of scared of blokes, because there’s so many of them, and there’s always one stronger than you.”

Hardy went on to reflect on what drew him to jiu-jitsu in the first place.

“You know, somehow you’re supposed to be able to look after yourself in this wicked world, but in a numbers game it’s not possible to be the strongest,” he said. “So eventually I was like, ‘Just have a go, who cares who wins.’ And of course, I care who wins, but you spend the first couple of years trying to forget it. You’re not winning anything. It’s very humiliating, in the right way.”

Now a purple belt, the “Venom” actor described jiu-jitsu as a “submission sport.”

He broke it down: “It’s about stopping your opponent. They submit to defeat, or you choke them, shutting off the carotid artery so the blood doesn’t go to the brain.”

He added, “But once you isolate a limb — an arm or a leg — and put pressure through the joint, and it’s correctly applied, you needn’t go any further. It’s a fait accompli. It’s done. You are done. Only your ego will take you any further.”

Hardy’s journey to the top hasn’t been smooth sailing. Before the “Peaky Blinders” actors became one of Hollywood’s most magnetic talents, he had turbulent teenage years in London where he frequently clashed with authority and soon developed a serious addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine.

In a 2014 interview with The Mirror, he opened up about the all-consuming nature of his addiction: “If I had four pints of lager and half a bottle of vodka, I could turn this room into an absolute f-cking nightmare in about three minutes. I could destroy everything in my life I have worked so hard for.”

After gaining early recognition in “Black Hawk Down” (2001), Hardy shared that he quietly entered rehab, following “Star Trek: Nemesis” in 2002, hoping to regain control.