English rocker Pete Doherty has publicly revealed his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis for the first time after years of health issues.
The Libertines singer and guitarist admitted that despite giving up “the main poisons” in recent years, his health is still a major concern.
“I gave up the main poisons and my health improved,” Doherty, 44, told The Guardian in a new interview.
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“Then you get told alcohol and cheese and sugar are just as bad.”
The Brit insisted that “it’s not a joke”, explaining: “I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. And at the moment I’m lacking the discipline to tackle cholesterol.”
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin and can no longer produce enough of the essential hormone.
Representing more than 85 per cent of all diabetes diagnoses, Type 2 can progress and become more severe without proper lifestyle and medical management.
It’s not the first time Doherty has mentioned diabetes, however this is the first time he’s shared his formal diagnosis publicly.
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In October 2023 he told The Standard his doctor had encouraged him to change his diet, but the advice was tough to follow.
“Cheese is so good, that’s part of the reason I stay here,” he quipped. “It’s a cholesterol and diabetes thing now, but there are tablets, it makes a big difference.”
Doherty has battled serious drug and alcohol addiction in the past, with substance abuse often landing him on the wrong side of the law.
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He’s been arrested for drunk driving, possession of cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine, robbery, blackmail, among other offences.
The rocker made several attempts to get clean throughout his life, including several stints in rehab, before finally kicking his drug habit at the end of 2019.
“There are so many people in my life who deserve better,” he said of getting clean before he managed it himself.
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“It really is a mental deficiency… I’d be a force to be reckoned with! I’d have money and self-respect and clean hands.”
Now Doherty is gearing up for the release of All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, The Libertines’ first studio album since Anthems for Doomed Youth dropped in 2015.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction contact the Alcohol Drug Information Service on 1800 250 015 or Narcotics Anonymous Australia on 1300 652 820.