Matthew Perry no longer feels the need to be 'funny all the time'

Matthew Perry has accepted he no longer has to be "funny all the time".

In his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the Friends actor opens up about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.

As part of his recovery, Matthew revealed he has learned that he doesn't have to sustain the funny guy persona he cultivated as Chandler Bing in the hit '90s sitcom.

"I do, but maybe more so when they hear all this. You know, the Chandler show, the Matthew Perry show, the 'Ah! Ah! Ah!,' the song-and-dance man, the guy who's funny all the time - I don't have to be that anymore," he said in an interview with GQ magazine. "And I've known that for about 10 years. I don't have to do that. In fact, it's probably pretty annoying to people, so I don't do it anymore. I'm funny when I want to be, but I don't feel the need to be funny."

As a result of various operations, Matthew noted that he may look different to fans. In fact, he is still getting used to the scars on his body.

"I look at them with gratitude, because it helped me stay alive. But I have to live my life 24/7 with all of this scar tissue I'm constantly aware of. It feels like I'm doing a sit-up at full stretch all the time," the 53-year-old added.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is now available to purchase.