He has lived long, and he has prospered. William Shatner has had a life that hasn't necessarily been smooth sailing. After becoming Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise in the iconic TV show back in 1966, he's led a life of highs and lows; all of which he's captured in his brand new one man show touring around Australia, It's Shatner's World: You're Just Living In It.

I wanted to start by doing a bit of time travel with you; take me back to young Bill Shatner in 1966, walking on to the set of Star Trek. What would you tell that guy about what his life would become?

An actor's life is strange, and mine is stranger than most. No matter how popular you are, there's always the fear in an actors' mind, 'will I work again?' You can be a leading actor in something, and then something happens and you never work again. There's always the fear; it's anxiety-making. So if you ask me what would I say to that guy so long ago, I would have said to him, 'you see? You don't have to be anxious. You don't have to worry'.

At the same time, in the 1970s there was a period there when you were living out of the back of a truck as well; there's been ups and downs.

Ups and downs, absolutely. I was living out of the back of a truck because Star Trek was cancelled, and it didn't pay very well to begin with. I'd just gotten a divorce which took all the money I'd been able to save, and I had three children, so I was broke. I was doing summer stock - summer theatre productions - so one week you're in a small town where people go to vacation, and then you're in another small town 100 miles away. So I deliberately bought a shell that could go on the back of a truck so I wouldn't have to go to a hotel and I could make food; I could save money. So yes, I was living out of a truck for a while after Star Trek.

Were there moments where you felt like, this doesn't feel right - I made this iconic show and now I'm doing this... were there moments where you felt like there was a disconnect?

Absolutely, people would say, 'oh look, there's Captain Kirk, how are you?' and I'm thinking of all my kids sitting around the table going (points to mouth). I gotta feed my kids!

Your wife Nareen passed away. She had a problem with alcoholism, and of course there's a halfway house named after her...

I didn't know you knew that, that's exactly right.

William Shatner and Nerine Kidd

Source: William Shatner

For people out there that are struggling with alcohol addiction or people that are in love with someone who is struggling, what would you say to them?

It's horrible. People who aren't addicted either find it difficult or its impossible to understand. Not only is it an emotional and spiritual thing but it's also a physical thing. The dendrites, nerve endings, of your brain grow in a such a manner that your brain is different; the addict's brain is different than mine in that in needs to be fed with the thing that you're addicted to. So when I married Nareen I thought that the love I felt for her would displace whatever hole there was in her soul that the drink was filling up. And she agreed.

When did you realise that wasn't the case?

The wedding party. She was sober and at the end of the party she said, 'see, I didn't drink!' She'd pledged her sobriety to me. And I said, 'I know!This is the way it's going to be!' And the next morning she was drunk. Somewhere in the middle of the night she'd started drinking again. That's when I realised that my marriage, which was hours old, was in trouble already. I didn't do it right. I tried everything - mental health doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, rehabs - we did everything. And none of it worked.

The recurring theme of the show is about saying yes to life.

That's what my one-man show - it's so difficult to explain what it is as a form of entertainment - is saying, yes to life, to the opportunity of life, saying yes to fulfilling your life as much as possible. Because I'm here to tell you it's over before you know it. The fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek is next year. Fifty years ago, I went on that set. It's like it was yesterday. Fifty years has gone by and I don't know where it went. So I'm telling you from my perspective; do as much as you can, feel as much as you can, give as much as you can in your life, because before you know, it you're dead.