Pete Doherty admits he was "healthier" while taking drugs. The Libertines frontman, 45, has been open about his health struggles in recent years and has recently revealed that his doctors warned him he's at risk of having an amputation. Over the course of his career, Pete has publicly battled issues with drugs but the musician now claims that he's currently more unhealthy than he was during the height of his struggles.
During a recent concert, his bandmate Carl Barat was seen helping Pete leave the stage. He also used a walking stick while appearing at a gallery launch in Berlin. Prior to this, the musician had used a chair to perform at a string of concerts. Pete previously admitted he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but was struggling to keep the condition at bay.
"I saw the doctor today and he said you need to stay off your feet as much as you can otherwise you'll lose your toes," he told the audience during a concert in Berlin." Speaking last year, he revealed he gave up his "main poisons" which saw his health considerably improve.
During an interview with The Guardian's Saturday Magazine, the Babyshambles star commented: "Then you get told alcohol and cheese and sugar are just as bad and you were healthier when you were on heroin." He joked that he was a "glutton," meaning he tends to eat a lot.
He added to the publication: "It's not a joke, I've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. And at the moment I'm lacking the discipline to tackle cholesterol." But Pete's new life is a far cry from in his heyday. He's turned his back on drugs and rock and roll and now resides in France with his wife, admitting that cheese is his biggest downfall and the result of his now fuller physique.
"I like Comté [a type of French cheese], Comté on toast. My guilty pleasure is sleeping," he said. Despite ditching drugs, Pete still smokes and drinks alcohol and previously told Louis Theroux in an interview he was a "very sick man." During the candid revelation, he said "death is lurking.".
In one scene of the interview documentary, Pete coughed before clutching his chest and groaning in pain. He said: "You are looking at a very sick man. I've battered it, haven't I, I've f***ing caned it. The heroin and the crack... I surrendered to that, and then it was cocaine and the smoking and the alcohol, and now it's cheese and the saucisson, and the sugar in the tea.".
Pete added: "It's all gotta go. They told me a little while ago if you don't change your diet then you're gonna have diabetes and cholesterol problems. Death's lurking, you know what I mean? That's why I carry that stick." Meanwhile, his own documentary, Peter Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin, details his struggles at the height of his fame, showing him smoking drugs and dealing with the aftermath. One scene also shows Doherty preparing to inject heroin. He admits: "Hard drugs entered my life and slowly, slowly, and then very quickly, took control.".
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help. If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk.
