As Robert Downey Jr tenderly hugged his son Indio, patiently soothing him with kisses and words of love, it was clear there is a special bond between these two. Asked what matters the most in his life in comparison with the past, the actor answered quickly: “My son”. Then he hugged the seven-year-old even tighter, lowered his head and remained silent for a while.

Tragically, just weeks after Robert spoke these words in the interview with HELLO!, he suffered another setback in his bid to rebuild his life when he was arrested over Thanksgiving weekend for alleged possession of cocaine. Last week, he was in the dock to answer the felony charge. After a “not guilty” plea, his case was adjourned to July 16, and Robert left the court knowing that he could once again find himself facing a possible jail term.

Many hoped he had finally won the battle against addiction. But the Ally McBeal star admitted the struggle against substance abuse is an ongoing war. “Cocaine is a lady,” he once said, “and the best way to respect a lady is to stay away from her. I just can’t.”

In the interview, Robert admits to not having the answers. “I feel that I have had a lot of chances to build things up, and no one is more surprised than me to see that I have demolished everything time after time. I worry now that my best days may just be behind me. But if I truly believe that, what’s left for me in this world?”

For the full interview with Robert Downey Jr and more news on his latest setback, the new issue of HELLO! is on sale now.