John Stamos Reflects on His Playboy Image in Memoir Excerpt: 'Lonely, but Never Alone' (Exclusive)

John Stamos has been considered a Hollywood heartthrob from the moment he made a splash as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital and later as Full House's Uncle Jesse.

But good looks aside, the expectation of someone of his celebrity often tormented him, as he felt he had to keep up with the "playboy" label many have bestowed upon him.

In the veteran TV star's upcoming memoir, If You Would Have Told Me — out Oct. 24 from Henry Holt and Company — Stamos opens up about the many highs and lows in his life, from high-profile relationships to his career's journey to overcoming personal hardship. He is very candid about many aspects of his life, even when it is harder to do so.

"I did set out to write a hero story, but then as I was doing it I was like, 'No, I'm going to tell a human story,'" Stamos, 60, tells PEOPLE. "Because with the hero story, that's bulls---. And unless I was a hundred percent forthcoming, what am I doing this for, right? But it was hard."

Here, in an exclusive excerpt from his new memoir, Stamos opens up about the ways in which the "playboy" label ultimately impacted him.

I'm lonely, but never alone. In a sober state, I'd have the pride, morals, and values to avoid the proverbial low-hanging fruit. But what fun is that? Plus, I have an image to uphold. The "bon vivant" character, the cocksman, the ladies' man with a revolving bedroom door.

I can't go on my friend Howard Stern's show without him salivating over girls he thinks I slept with. Or Jimmy Kimmel, another pal, who never misses the opportunity to paint me as the ultimate playboy. And who could blame them? I play into it 100 percent.

It's flattering. It's my solemn duty to uphold my status as "that guy" keeping the dream alive for all those average joes out there, giving them someone to live vicariously through. Who cares if it's at the expense of my own happiness? What I don't get is every time I play out the fantasy in real life, I'm giving away a little piece of me.

"Stop trying to charm the world," my shrink, Phil Stutz, says. "You've already done that. Show them you’re an actor; that you're the real deal."

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John Stamos' memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, is available Oct. 24 wherever books are sold.

Excerpted from IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME: A Memoir by John Stamos. Published by Henry Holt and Company October 24th 2023. Copyright © 2023 by John Stamos. All rights reserved.