Drew Carey may be known for his quick wit and charm as a beloved TV host, but behind the laughter lies a haunting tragedy.
The murder of his former fiancée, Amie Harwick, continues to cast a dark shadow over his life.

Inside Drew Carey’s traumatic childhood
Being a Hollywood star isn’t always as glamorous as it seems—your private life is constantly under the microscope. And when you’ve faced real-life struggles, the speculation only intensifies. But one celebrity who has taken control of his own story is TV host and actor Drew Carey.

Talking openly about difficult and tragic experiences is never easy, but I hope Drew’s heartbreaking journey can encourage others to speak out about their own struggles. You don’t have to do it in public, but Drew has used his platform time and time again to help those who’ve been through their own horrors.

What many may not know about Drew Carey, 66, is that his childhood was tough.

His father passed away from a heart attack when Drew was just 8 years old —something that understandably left a huge impact on the young boy’s psyche. School wasn’t easy for him either, as he was expelled twice for poor academic performance.

But it was the sudden death of his father that cast a dark shadow over his early years growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.

“My dad died when I was a kid, and soon after that, I started biting my nails,” he shared.

“It got so bad that I was biting my cuticles, the pads of my fingers, tearing the skin until they bled. It hurt to even hold a pencil, and I was ashamed of how my hands looked.”

Suicide attempts
Drew and his two brothers were raised by their mother, who worked two jobs to make ends meet.

”I have been in a lot of desperate situations,” Drew told the Kirkland Reporter in 2010.

He also revealed that he was once molested, struggled with bouts of depression, and made two suicide attempts by swallowing a large number of sleeping pills.