Jacob Young has spoken publicly for the first time about a seven-year opioid addiction that began with a routine dental prescription and spiralled in secret, hidden even from his own wife.

The General Hospital actor, 46, made the revelation on the Imperfectly Perfect Podcast, tracing the roots of his substance use back to a difficult childhood and describing how addiction eventually took hold of a significant portion of his adult life. 

“I went through seven years of my life, wasted on opioids, still trying to figure out what was wrong with me, but I didn’t know,” he said. 

“It was just needing to numb… It was the only thing that made me feel normal.”

The opioids came into his life through an unexpected route. 

After he and his wife Christen Steward had bought a house and settled in together, Young underwent dental surgery and was prescribed Vicodin.

Apart from having his wisdom teeth out as a teenager, he had never taken opioids before. What followed was years of dependency that he kept entirely to himself.

Young’s history with substances had begun much earlier, though. 

He started smoking marijuana around the age of 14, and it wasn’t until his mid-20s, when fame from roles on All My Children, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful brought him into the orbit of New York City’s nightlife, that drinking and cocaine use entered the picture. 

By the time he married, he had largely left those behind. The opioids were a different story.

He eventually sat his wife down and told her the truth, a conversation he credits as the turning point. From there, he sought counselling and medical support to work through his dependency.

Looking back, Young connects his substance use to a childhood defined by instability. 

His parents divorced and he was shuffled between them in a way that left him unsettled. The family relied on welfare and food stamps, and Young grew up alongside three older siblings in what he described as a humble upbringing. 

In his adolescence, he went to live with his father, which felt stable, until his stepmother, who had become like a second mother to him, died by suicide. 

His relationship with his father broke down in the aftermath, and a difficult relationship with his mother at the time left him without a reliable parental figure during some of his most formative years.

“I was going through stuff that I didn’t realise that I was ever going to go through, emotionally,” he said, a quiet acknowledgement of just how much had been buried, long before the prescriptions began.

Meghan Markle gave her Instagram followers a little bit of everything this Friday. 

She posted from her lifestyle brand to heartfelt friendship shoutouts and even a side of film celebration.

First story shows the Duchess inviting fans to explore As Ever’s latest collaboration. 

The newly launched Garden Tea Bloom Box, created alongside High Camp Supply, is a sensory treat blending High Camp gardenias with peonies, camellia greens, jasmine, and mint, paired with As Ever’s herbal peppermint tea and sage honey with honeycomb.

She also shared a warm nod to her close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, posting a simple yet heartfelt message: “proud of you @heartmom,” following their recent outing together.

The pair attended the 34th Annual Champions for Children gala hosted by the Alliance for Children’s Rights at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, celebrating Kelly and her work with the Alliance of Moms.

Dressed in a sleek Ralph Lauren gown, the Duchess looked radiant as she stepped out in support of her close friend, who is currently expecting a baby boy.

And in a final story, Meghan highlighted a big win for the film Cookie Queens, which picked up the Festival Favorite Audience Award at SXSW. 

Reposting the team’s excitement, the update read: “Wow- such an honour. Huge thanks from our whole film team to the fabulous audiences, programmers, and volunteers! 

We had a blast at SXSW and can’t wait to bring the film to more festivals and theaters.”

Meghan Markle stole the spotlight at The Alliance for Children’s Rights’ 34th Annual Gala on March 19, but not in the usual red-carpet way.

The Duchess of Sussex accidentally crashed a TikTok video in progress inside the ladies’ bathroom at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, later sharing the moment on her Instagram.

“Proud to honour my forever friend @heartmom for her outstanding work for @allianceforchildrensrights and @allianceofmoms,” Meghan captioned the post.

“Kelly, you are one of one. Such a special evening + kudos to the gals in the ladies room doing a TikTok video.

Sorry we crashed your party, but it was too good not to share.”

In the clip, the Suits star can be seen shaking hands and watching in delight as the women show off their dance moves for the camera.

The gala honoured Kelly McKee Zajfen, Meghan’s longtime friend and co-founder of Alliance of Moms, a nonprofit supporting pregnant and parenting teens in foster care.

Speaking to Hello!, Kelly called Meghan “an incredible role model in living a life of service,” praising her quiet dedication behind the scenes.

“She does not do everything loudly; she does things quietly, so it’s really beautiful to watch,” she said

Meghan also took the stage to introduce her friend, celebrating Kelly’s work and the impact of the organisation.