Editing Jean-Claude Van Damme (section)

==Personal life==
From 1993 to 1996, the stress of the constant filming and promotion of his films, as Van Damme claims, led him to develop a [[cocaine]] habit, on which he spent up to $10,000 a week, and consuming up to 10 grams per day by 1996. He was arrested for [[driving under the influence]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DKOBAgAAQBAJ&dq=5+foot+9+Van+Damme&pg=PA291 | title=The Action and Adventure Cinema | isbn=978-1-134-56494-1 | last1=Tasker | first1=Yvonne | date=19 August 2004 | publisher=Routledge }}</ref><ref name=TheGuardian>Godfrey, Alex (10 August 2012). [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/10/van-damme-expendables-2 "Jean-Claude Van Damme: 'I tried to play the system; I was blacklisted'"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref><ref name=USAToday>Truitt, Brian (19 August 2012). [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-08-19/expendables-2-jean-claude-van-damme/57141092/1 "For Jean-Claude Van Damme, comeback is sweet"]. ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref><ref>[http://www.biography.com/people/jean-claude-van-damme-21213129 "Jean-Claude Van Damme"]. [[Biography.com]]. Retrieved 29 November 2013.</ref> Attempts at drug rehabilitation were unsuccessful, and he resorted to resolve his addiction via quitting [[cold turkey]] and exercise.<ref name=TheGuardian/> In 1998, he was diagnosed with [[bipolar disorder]].<ref name=TheGuardian/><ref name=USAToday/><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbYD87izKHYC&pg=PA47 | title=The everything health guide to adult bipolar disorder | first1=Jon P. | last1=Bloch | first2=Jeffrey A. | last2=Naser | isbn=978-1-59337-585-0 | publisher=Everything Books | year=2006 | page=47 | access-date=31 August 2010 }}</ref> In 2011, he discussed the condition on the British reality show ''[[Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors]]'', saying, "Sometimes you're gonna like me, and sometimes you're gonna hate me. But what can I do? I'm not perfect ... I'm an extreme bipolar, and I'm taking medication for this ... When I was young, I was suffering those [[mood swings|swing moods]]. In the morning, the sky was blue [when I was] going to school, and to me, the sky was black. I was so sad."<ref>[http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/stars-whove-battled-mental-health-issues-2013136/31148 "Stars Who've Battled Mental Health Issues"]. ''[[US Weekly]]''. Retrieved 29 November 2013.</ref>

He has been married five times to four different women. Until 1992 he was married to his third wife, bodybuilder [[Gladys Portugues]], with whom he has two children, Kristopher (b. 1987) and Bianca Brigitte (b. 1990).<ref>{{cite news|title=Cannes film festival 2010: Jean-Claude Van Damme plans to appear in reality TV show for A&E|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|date=14 May 2010|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-05-14/entertainment/27064416_1_gladys-portugues-cannes-film-festival-red-carpet|access-date=21 March 2011|first=Roger|last=Friedman|archive-date=27 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727061023/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-05-14/entertainment/27064416_1_gladys-portugues-cannes-film-festival-red-carpet|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had begun an affair with actress [[Darcy LaPier]], whom he married in February 1994. From this marriage, they have a son named Nicholas (b. 10 October 1995). That same year he had an affair with his ''[[Street Fighter (1994 film)|Street Fighter]]'' co-star [[Kylie Minogue]] during filming in Thailand.<ref name=HuffingtonPost>Sieczkowski, Cavan (14 August 2012). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/jean-claude-van-damme-affair-kylie-minogue_n_1775119.html "Jean-Claude Van Damme Admits To Affair With Kylie Minogue"]. ''[[HuffPost]]''.</ref><ref>Chen, Joyce (13 August 2012). [http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/jean-claude-van-damme-admits-affair-kylie-minogue-shooting-street-fighter-20-years-article-1.1135606 "Jean-Claude Van Damme admits to affair with Kylie Minogue while shooting 'Street Fighter' almost 20 years ago"]. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'' (New York).</ref> LaPier, who was pregnant with their son at the time, did not become aware of the affair until Van Damme publicly admitted it in 2012.<ref>McKay, Hollie (15 August 2012). [https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/exclusive-darcy-lapier-shocked-by-ex-husband-jean-claude-van-dammes-affair-with-kylie-minogue/ "Exclusive: Darcy LaPier shocked by ex-husband Jean-Claude Van Damme's affair with Kylie Minogue."] Fox News Channel. Fox News Network LLC. Retrieved 17 December 2015.</ref>

In October 2016, he expressed his support for presidential candidate [[Donald Trump]] during the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://myfox8.com/news/politics/your-local-election-hq/you-decide-2016/jean-claude-van-damme-right-now-we-need-donald-trump/ |title=Jean-Claude Van Damme: 'Right now we need Donald Trump' |publisher=WGHP |date=23 October 2016 }}</ref> Earlier that year in March, he mentioned that the [[Illuminati]] including the [[Rockefeller family|Rockefellers]] and [[Rothschild family|Rothschilds]] might try to stop Trump from winning.<ref>{{Cite web |last=William Cohen |first=Trace |date=2 May 2016 |title=Jean-Claude Van Damme Thinks the Only Thing Stopping Donald Trump Is the Illuminati |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/tracewilliamcowen/jean-claude-van-damme-donald-trump-illuminati |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=complex.com}}</ref>

In December 2022, he visited a clinic in [[Uzhhorod]], Ukraine, and took the opportunity to meet Ukrainian military personnel, declaring ‘[[Slava Ukraini]]’ on a local television.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lalibre.be/culture/cinema/2022/12/14/gloire-a-lukraine-jean-claude-van-damme-venu-soigner-un-probleme-de-sante-en-ukraine-prend-la-pose-avec-les-soldats-video-2T5YQTIOZRA2XP7IOD73SPDHHE/ |title="Gloire à l'Ukraine": Jean-Claude Van Damme, venu soigner "un problème de santé" en Ukraine, prend la pose avec les soldats (VIDEO) |publisher=La Libre |date=14 December 2022 }}</ref> In a video on Youtube, he justifies this as a message of peace.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvYMuKC8_tE&ab_channel=Jean-ClaudeVanDamme |title=Peace Ukraine |publisher=Jean-Claude Van Damme's Youtube channel |date=16 December 2022 }}</ref> In 2025, when the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] decided to end [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]], there was a theory that he had been paid by the American agency for this message in Ukraine. However, there is no reliable source confirming this.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://factuel.afp.com/doc.afp.com.36XK3UQ |title=Attention à ce faux reportage sur des stars envoyées en Ukraine grâce à de l'argent de l'USAID |publisher=Agence France-Presse |date=12 February 2025 }}</ref> On 16 April 2025, JCVD posted a video on [[Diana Panchenko]]'s Telegram channel in which he asked Putin to become an ambassador for peace based on love and sport, recalling their first meetings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/04/17/jean-claude-van-damme-asks-putin-for-ambassadorial-job-and-sends-big-kiss-to-russia |title=Jean-Claude Van Damme asks Putin for ambassadorial job and sends 'big kiss' to Russia |publisher=EuroNews |date=17 April 2025 }}</ref>

===Conservationism===
Outside acting, Van Damme has publicly supported various [[conservation movement|conservationist]] causes and [[animal rights]] organisations, appearing in a number of [[public service announcement|PSAs]] for [[Animals Australia]], and working towards his goal of rallying celebrities and fellow actors in creating [[animal sanctuary|sanctuaries]] for [[endangered species]]. In 2022, he was appointed as [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] Ambassador On Environment, with the role of enhancing the [[forest protection|protection of forests]] as well as local [[fauna]] and [[flora]].<ref name="s415">{{cite web | title=Jean-Claude Van Damme and GAIA join forces for animal rights | website=GAIA | date=7 March 2017 | url=https://www.gaia.be/en/news/jean-claude-van-damme-and-gaia-join-forces-animal-rights | access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |last=Klingert |first=Liv |date=8 April 2022 |title=Jean-Claude Van Damme new Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/215874/jean-claude-van-damme-named-as-new-ambassador-of-the-democratic-republic-of-congo |access-date=13 August 2024 |website=The Brussels Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/>