'My troubles are behind me' insists golden voiced Ted Williams as he starts fresh in a sober house with a sparkling new set of teeth



Just a month ago he was the homeless 'man with the golden voice' begging on the side of the highway. But after his dulcet tones were discovered by chance, Ted Williams became a household name.

Now, after a short relapse into drinking, Mr Williams has vowed his troubles are behind him in a television interview.

Looking sharp in a grey suit and tie the 53-year-old also showed off a set of brand new, gleaming teeth, as he spoke of fame, going back to rehab and his children.



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Fresh start: Former 'golden voice' homeless man Ted Williams looked dapper as he spoke of his whirlwind life in a television interview

'I am more appreciative of life. I'm not taking it for granted,' he told presenters on The Early Show, CBS, today.

He also thanked his dentist in Columbus, Ohio for giving him a new set of teeth and said the job offers he had received before the relapse had 'come back' with the proviso that he stays sober.



Mr Williams became an overnight internet sensation after a YouTube video, featuring him looking dishevelled but speaking with a perfect 'radio' voice, attracted more than 20million hits.

He soon found himself thrust into the limelight and bombarded with job offers and vast pay cheques for his golden 'pipes'.

Makeover: Mr Williams showed off a sparkling set of new teeth and neat haircut in the interview, right, which was a million miles away from how he looked when he was discovered begging on a highway in Ohio



But it was all too much for the former alcoholic and drug addict, who relapsed soon after he had been discovered.

Mr Williams checked into a rehab centre in Texas for 90 days but left just two weeks later, leaving some speculating whether he had really changed.

'That (rehab) was probably a very rushed decision,' he said. 'It was too much, too fast, and I was just not really focused on what I should be doing. I felt scripted. I was doing live phone-ins from rehab.'



Sorry past: Mr Williams revealed the tent where he has been sleeping rough on the north side of Columbus, Ohio

Reunited: After having some altercations with certain family members, including one of his five daughters, Mr Williams said he and his children's hearts were now 'all for one'

Mr Williams said his drinking and troubles with some family members with whom he was reunited were now 'behind me'.

He said that he and his five children's hearts were now 'all for one'. 'They're like Daddy, get well,' he said.



He also revealed he is living in a sober house in Los Angeles for members of the voiceover community and dedicating himself to his new 'Second Chance Foundation'.

Mr Williams' 92-year-old mother, Julia, had last month warned the burgeoning star that his new-found fame could lead him to fall off the rails again.

'The prodigal son comes home': Mother and son share a look after they were reunited in New York

Warning: Mr Williams' 92-year-old mother, Julia, had last month told the burgeoning star that his new-found fame could lead him to fall off the rails again

The pair were brought together in an emotional reunion having not seen each other for 20 years. Speaking on The Today Show at the time, she asked Mr Williams to not 'disappoint' her.

'Just don't let things fall apart and you fall in with the wrong people,' she said. 'That's the part that upsets me about him. He's a good person, and he's easily pulled into things.'

The reunion between the one-time radio DJ and his mother was made all the more poignant as his tough past emerged .

Hit: Since he was filmed on the roadside begging (above) Williams has attracted nearly 20million YouTube hits - and plenty of job offers

Begging: Williams wowed internet users with his incredible voice as he gave mock announcements for cash at the roadside

He was married with five daughters before his life spiralled out of control and he racked up a charge sheet which stretches back more than 20 years.

He was addicted to crack cocaine and has been arrested for robbery, theft, escape, forgery and drug possession, according to police records.

Most recently, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour theft charge, having given his address as the 'streets of Columbus'

Mug shots: Williams has been arrested several times for charges including robbery and possession of drugs

The local paper, the Colombus Dispatch, reports that he spent three months in prison in 1990 and two months behind bars in 2004.

Mr Williams had a promising radio career in the 1980s – first as an overnight DJ in Johnstown, Ohio, and later on a morning show in Columbus, where he nicknamed himself Teddy Bear.

It gained popularity after a link to it was posted on microblogging site Twitter by sports radio station 1310 The Ticket Radio and it soon went viral.



Watch the full CBS interview here





Williams was 'discovered' begging at the side of an interstate with a sign saying that he had a God-given gift but had fallen on hard times. For a donation, he would share his gift.

His spiel was caught on a 90-second video by Doral Chenoweth of the Columbus Dispatch, and it is this that has launched him to fame.

He admits on camera: 'I went to school [to study radio announcement] and then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became part of my life.

'But I'm two years clean and I'm trying hard to get it back and hopefully, one of these TV or radio stations will say, "Hey, I need a voiceover" or something.'

...And now watch the video where it all began



