Clive Brooke became Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe in 1995.He is considered to be one of the hardest working peers in the House of Lords. The motto inscribed on his coat of arms is 'one day at a time.' His first major job was in the Inland Revenue Staff Federation, eventually becoming General Secretary thereof and its successor, the Public Services Tax and Commerce Union. 1989 – 1996 he became initially, a TUC General Council member; then a member of the Executive Committee.
Public service runs through his veins. Lorna Roberts came into his life and they married in 1967, over 55 years ago. A bumpy ride, and by his own admission, he was not the best of husbands at times. However, in his early forties, owing to his behaviour around his addiction to booze, food and sex, the wheels to his personal train began to fall off. A grim doctor's warning that death was just around the corner caused him to change his life.
What follows is a super candid account of how things worked out.
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From the House of Lords to the depths of addiction—this is Lord Brooke’s story, unfiltered.
 
Clive Brooke, now Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, grew up knowing he wasn’t the son his father wanted. That lingering shadow shaped him in ways he only truly understood later in life. Finding his feminine side helped him navigate the world of trade unions and politics, but behind the scenes, he was battling booze, food, and sex addiction—a spiral that nearly destroyed his marriage, his health, and his life.
Then came the wake-up call: a doctor’s stark warning that death was just around the corner. What followed was a fight for survival, redemption, and healing, with an unlikely trio of saviours—a dog, cancer, and the 12 Steps.

Now considered one of the hardest-working peers in the House of Lords, Lord Brooke reflects on public service, marriage, recovery, and why the words "one day at a time" are inscribed on his coat of arms.

A brutally honest, deeply human story of power, pain, and the long road to making things right.