Pete Doherty provides worrying health update to Louis Theroux: “Death’s lurking”
The Libertines’ Pete Doherty has claimed to documentary maker Louis Theroux that he’s a “very sick man” and “death’s lurking”.
Although Doherty has been clean from drugs since 2020, he’s now facing the consequences of his decades of hedonism. The former Babyshambles frontman opened up about his struggles during an episode of the new BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews, which saw Doherty also look back on his scandal-filled career and explain how he’s turned over a new leaf.
While the pair were in Doherty’s studio in Normandy, the musician took a sip from a bottle of blackcurrant rum which went down the wrong way and caused him severe discomfort, prompting Theroux to ask him about his health.
“You are looking at a very sick man,” Doherty told Theroux. “I’ve battered it, haven’t I, I’ve fucking caned it.” He continued: “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.”
Doherty 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.”
The singer-songwriter also revealed that his aim is to live long enough to hear his newborn daughter, Billie-May, say her first words. In response, Theroux told the 44-year-old that he’s still young enough to see her grow up to “start a family of her own”, to which Doherty replied: “That’s a stretch though, isn’t it.”
Reflecting on his past drug use, Doherty painfully said: “My life in using was so chaotic and the consequences of (it), you’ll be in prison, and you’ll fuck your body up, and you’ll be skint, and you’ll lose your family, and you’ll lose everything you love. Is it really that good? That’s beyond curiosity, that’s a right mess.”
Meanwhile, The Libertines recently announced their fourth album All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, set for release on March 8th through EMI. In anticipation of the record, the iconic group will play a series of intimate shows across Britain in early 2024.
Watch the trailer for the new series Louis Theroux Interviews below, the full programme with Doherty is available to view on BBC iPlayer.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.