Sir Elton John has detailed how he supports people battling addiction as he did before going sober 31 years ago.
The iconic singer, 74, has spoken openly about his battle with alcohol and drugs which nearly derailed his career and cost him his life – and is determined to help others.
In a candid interview on Saturday’s upcoming episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, the star said the kindness of others when he battled addiction inspired him to support others where he could.
Good cause: Sir Elton John has detailed how he supports people battling addiction as he did before going sober 31 years ago – during an upcoming appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show
He said: ‘I just ring them up and offer them my support basically… there’s been two or three recently, one young and one old and they’re doing ok, doing really well. I’m a recovering alcoholic.
‘[You learn to] pass the message on and help people when you can. You call them up and give them some support. That’s what happened to me… people were so kind to me.’
The star’s biopic, Rocketman, was released last year, and Elton recalled how reliving his battles with addiction moved him to tears.
He said: ‘I was in bits. It was exactly how I wanted it to be. David, my husband, was producer on it. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it.
Suppport: The iconic singer, 74, has spoken openly about his battle with alcohol and drugs which nearly derailed his career and cost him his life – and is determined to help others (pictured 1975)
‘I thought it was honest. I didn’t want it to cover anything with saccharin or anything like that. It was true and it ended when I got sober. I was really affected by it. The early bits with my family, it made me weep.’
‘It was very moving. I had a lot of support when I was ill and [in] rehab. You support your friends through thick and thin. I had a lot of support when I went through the thin end of the wedge and I never forget that.’
Reflecting on his wild past, he admitted to Variety at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival: ‘The life I was leading, flying on the Starship, living in beautiful houses, buying things left, right and center — it was not a normal life.
‘I used to have spasms and be found on the floor and they’d put me back to bed and half an hour later I’d be doing the same. It’s crazy.
‘I am a survivor. I’ve survived a lot of things. Life is full of pitfalls, even when you’re sober. I can deal with them now because I don’t have to run away and hide’, he added.
The star has also blamed his reputation for being a diva on his past cocaine use.
He told the Awards Chatter podcast in 2020: ‘I saw someone doing cocaine and didn’t know what it was. They said it makes you feel good. So I thought “I will have a go”. Worse decision of my life.
‘I shouted at people. I wasn’t proud of that behaviour because it is not really who I am.
Dark times: He said: ‘I just ring them up and offer them my support basically… there’s been two or three recently, one young and one old and they’re doing ok, doing really well. I’m a recovering alcoholic (Sir Elton, pictured in the 1980s)
‘It lead a lot of people to say I’ve always been a diva. I am not. Now I don’t take drugs,’ he added.
Elton previously opened about his cocaine habit in his memoirs, which were serialised in the Daily Mail in October 2019.
The star wrote: ‘I had started taking cocaine in 1974. I liked how it made me feel. That jolt of confidence and euphoria, the sense that I could suddenly open up, that I didn’t feel shy or intimidated, that I could talk to anybody.
‘That was all bull***t, of course. I was full of energy, I was inquisitive, I had a sense of humour and a thirst for knowledge: I didn’t need a drug to make me talk to people.
He went on: ‘My appetite for the stuff was unbelievable — enough to attract comment in the circles I was moving in.
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‘Given that I was a rock star spending a lot of time in Seventies L.A., this was a not inconsiderable feat.
‘Once again, you might think this would have given me pause for thought, but I’m afraid the next 16 years were full of incidents that would have given any rational human being pause concerning their drug consumption.
‘That was the problem. Because I was doing coke, I wasn’t a rational human being any more. You become unreasonable and irresponsible, self-obsessed, a law unto yourself.
‘It’s your way or the highway. It’s a horrible drug.’
Elsewhere in the Jonathan Ross interview the star detailed life in lockdown with his young family and his plans to get involved in photography when he retires from performing in 2023.
Elton is father to sons Zachary, 10, and Elijah, eight, with husband David Furnish, 59.
Appearing via videolink, the Candle In The Wind hitmaker said: ‘(It will be a) Very quiet Christmas.
Festive fun: Elton is gearing up to release a new Christmas song with Ed Sheeran – Merry Christmas – and opened up about shooting the music video after getting a hip replacement
‘It’s just the two boys, me and David. The boys open their stockings around 7am. They come down to us at about 8am. It’s very quiet and it’s very personal and we don’t have any guests this Christmas for Christmas day.’
He added: ‘I’ve spent the last 18 months with the boys, they came on tour with us. Lockdown we were stuck in the house here. I’m usually out and about and never spend time here.
I stayed there and I didn’t fidget. I loved it. I know it was so difficult for other people who are less fortunate. I got to spend time with the people I love the most.
‘You have to make the best of what you’ve got. We’re very fortunate. There were many games of Uno, snakes and ladders…’
Elton is gearing up to release a new Christmas song with Ed Sheeran – Merry Christmas – and opened up about shooting the music video after getting a hip replacement.
He said: ‘I don’t really make videos very often. I’d just had my hip replaced. They made sure I sat down. I didn’t expect to see you [Jonathan] or Michael McIntyre or The Darkness. He’s [Ed Sheeran] a bundle of energy – it’s great.’
Elton discussed his humorous friendship with Ed, 30 joking: ‘He’s gone through that stage of getting drunk all the time. He’s alright. He’s very small. Apparently in every department….’
Elton is set to bring the curtain down on his incredible career in 2023, and emotionally reflected on what the next chapter of his life will bring.
He said: ‘The last two outdoor shows in Britain I wanted to end at Watford because it’s been such a special place for me. It’s been a wonderful journey for me there. My special request was the last two shows in England were to be at Vicarage Road.’
Asked what he’ll do when he stops touring, Elton says: ‘I love photography. I like photographs. I’ll probably be doing some curating at the V&A museum of my photos. ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ll be at home with my boys – they’ll be in their teenage years…’
‘I’ll be 76, I think I’ve had enough applause. I’ll always be involved in music, I hope I do my radio shows.’ Adding that anything can happen he notes: ‘A phone call can change your life.’
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The Jonathan Ross Show will air on Saturday at 10.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
Candid: Elsewhere in the Jonathan Ross interview the star detailed life in lockdown with his young family (pictured – the star’s sons Zachary, 10, and Elijah eight in April 2020)
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