Treatment in a mental hospital changed Nikolaev - he made peace with Apeksimova and looks 10 years younger.

For many years, the actor had a dark streak in his life. But now, it seems, the difficulties are behind us.

58-year-old actor Valery Nikolaev has been at the epicenter of a scandal for several years now. More than once the screen star found himself in situations that could put an end to his career.

In 2016, his license was revoked after an accident he caused while drunk. Then Nikolaev hit a pedestrian, but got off with a light punishment. Then he began to experience persecution mania - it seemed to him that someone was constantly watching his life. Valery hid behind dark glasses, changed phones, believing that they were wiretapped, and drowned his anxiety in alcohol.

This predictably led to problems at work. Binges and schedule disruptions led to him being shown the door on many projects. Gradually, the crooked path led the actor to a specialized clinic, where he was treated for alcoholism.

It seemed that the dark streak in the star’s life was over, but in 2022 Nikolaev again found himself driving under the influence of drugs.

At the police station, he got into a fight with a cellmate, made animal sounds, and then accused those around him of pouring boiling water on him. No burns were found on the body, and the violent visitor was sent to a psychiatric clinic just in case. Having improved his health, the actor returned to normal life. Now he admits that his mental problems began after the death of his parents: he could not cope with the loss and hid the pain inside himself for a long time.

Another reason that he went downhill was failures in his personal life. The actor was married four times. Scandalous divorces did not improve my health, but it was impossible to leave the family peacefully.

For a long time, Nikolaev quarreled with Irina Apeksimova, his second wife. The ex-spouses had common projects, and they flatly refused to intersect on the site.

They broke up at the moment when Nikolaev decided to develop a career in Hollywood, and Apeksimova flatly refused to leave her theater. But this is only the tip of the iceberg; the root of the quarrels was Valery’s infidelities.

“There were difficult periods when there was no money, and we worked as a driver, among other things. But we always tried to help each other. When we parted, Dasha was six years old. Gradually it became clear that Ira and I were moving in different directions. There were disagreements about everyday life. All this split us. It was difficult for me to leave, but it had to be done,” Nikolaev admitted afterward in the “Fate of a Man” program on the Russia 1 channel.

Only after marrying his fourth wife was Nikolaev finally able to find a common language with Apeksimova. His wife, an artist of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard Elmira Zemskova, even became friends with the actress.

The day before, Nikolaev celebrated at a social event - he appeared at the 125th anniversary of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov. The therapy clearly benefited the star; he felt refreshed and communicated with colleagues at ease.

• Matison and Fomina in the images of femme fatale, elegant Chipovskaya and lonely Bogomolov: stars at the anniversary of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov

The artist was especially pleased with the meeting with Irina Apeksimova. They posed together for photographers, and then chatted for a long time about something. The couple certainly has common topics of conversation, at least to rejoice at the success of their daughter, actress Daria Avratinskaya.

Photo: Legion-Media.ru, PhotoXPress.ru, Evgeny Nikolaev/ProPedia