WGN-TV anchorwoman admits past addiction problem

WGN-TV anchorwoman Allison Payne has gone public with her 20-year fight against addiction, and believes there is no shame in acknowledging that she has had a drinking problem.

But Payne and WGN-Ch. 9 News Director Greg Caputo on Friday said that admission, which came as a passing mention during a Thursday newscast, was not the reason she was off the air for much of 2008.

She and the station still attribute those absences to a series of mini-strokes and their lingering effects, including depression, for which she still receives treatment.

Drinking, Payne said Friday, “was not the issue when I was out sick. … My right hand was numb. I had no use of my right hand. They diagnosed me with mini-strokes.”

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