Sober actress Tatum O'Neal sympathises with fallen U.S. politician Anthony Weiner, likening his "compulsion" to engage in explicit sexual chats to an addiction.

<p>Sober actress Tatum O'Neal sympathises with fallen U.S. politician Anthony Weiner, likening his "compulsion" to engage in explicit sexual chats to an addiction.<br />Weiner resigned from his position as a New York congressman on Thursday (16Jun11) after it emerged he had lied about sending a saucy picture of himself to a female student via Twitter. He also confessed to having intimate phone and internet conversations with at least six women outside his marriage.<br />O'Neal, who has a history of drug abuse and has been clean for a year, has now compared Weiner's behaviour to that of an addict.<br />She tells Cnn host Piers Morgan, "It is really sad, because he was a really ambitious, up-and-coming congressman, who wanted to be mayor. So the idea that he self-sabotaged this hugely speaks to a definite addiction.<br />"Whether... he knew it was an addiction or not, I don't know. It is a complete sabotage of everything... It is almost like he had to do it, in a way, even though he's married to one of the most beautiful women in the world...<br />"This compulsion speaks very highly to addiction... I can imagine that the fact that he did that so recently after his marriage speaks to an incredible compulsion... That no matter what happens, he had to do it."<br />A spokesperson has confirmed Weiner is checking into a rehabilitation centre "to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person", but the type of treatment has not been divulged.</p>

Sober actress Tatum O'Neal sympathises with fallen U.S. politician Anthony Weiner, likening his "compulsion" to engage in explicit sexual chats to an addiction.

Sober actress Tatum O'Neal sympathises with fallen U.S. politician Anthony Weiner, likening his "compulsion" to engage in expl...

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