Friends star Matthew Perry is to release an “unflinchingly honest” autobiography about his time on the hit show and his addiction problems, a publisher has announced.

In the as-yet-untitled book, to be published next autumn, Perry will take readers “behind-the-scenes” of the hugely successful sitcom Friends, Flatiron Books said.

The memoir will also explore the 52-year-old actor’s history of substance abuse and alcohol problems, which have dogged his career.

The publisher said it won the rights to the book “in a major overnight pre-empt” – securing it ahead of an auction.

Reports in the US suggested the deal was in the “mid-seven figure range”.

Flatiron, a division of Macmillan, said: “In the book, Perry takes readers behind-the-scenes and onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction.

“Perry’s memoir, the first from a cast member of Friends, is unflinchingly honest, dishy, and hilarious: this is the book that Friends fans have been waiting for but will also shed a powerful light for anyone who is in their own battle for themselves or a loved one.”

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Megan Lynch, publisher of Flatiron Books, said: “We need humour, we need catharsis, and we need to agree on something – and Matthew’s extraordinary story, told in his inimitable voice, is that thing.

“Matthew’s book has unrivalled potential to bring people together, which feels especially galvanising right now, a time of isolation and division.”

Perry was one of the best-known and best-paid television stars during the 10-year run of Friends from 1994 but he struggled to overcome addiction.

His appearance on the show changed as his weight fluctuated drastically due to his drug abuse.

In 2016 Perry, whose film roles include The Whole Nine Yards and 17 Again, told the BBC his problem was so bad he cannot remember almost three years of his time on Friends, from seasons three to six.

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Perry joined his former co-stars for the highly awaited Friends reunion special in May, when some fans expressed concern at his appearance on the programme.

In June, he split from his fiancee Molly Hurwitz after three years together.

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