Doherty, the frontman of indie rock band The Libertines, had become notorious for his struggles with substances and his run-ins with the law during the late 2000s and 2010s. Now attempting sobriety, he has reflected on his chaotic past with Louis Theroux.

A real pleasure to catch up with @louistheroux

Catch up now on @BBCiPlayer #louistherouxinterviews pic.twitter.com/FmOnG2VdV6

— Peter Doherty (@petedoherty) November 16, 2023

When questioned on his health, Doherty shared, “You are looking at a very sick man. I’ve battered it, haven’t I, I’ve fucking 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.”

He continued, “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.”

Doherty also shared that he doesn’t believe he will be able to see his daughter, Billie-May (born in June of this year) grow up. When Theroux suggested living another 25 years to see his daughter start a family of her own, Doherty responded, “That’s a stretch though, isn’t it.”

Theroux also asked Doherty what advice he would give to someone interested in dabbling in drugs, to which Doherty replied, “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. I still get tingles thinking about it, but I’m able to talk to you rather than running off and scoring.”

Doherty also delves into other highly publicised aspects of his life throughout the interview, including his relationship with supermodel Kate Moss and his feud with former Libertines bandmate Carl Barat. Barat revealed that Doherty’s addictions caused a rift in the band, leading to The Libertines performing without Doherty.

Discussing Pete Doherty following the interview, Theroux shared, “I was surprised by how funny he was, I was surprised that (maybe I shouldn’t haven’t been) his recovery still seemed precarious, and I would say that maybe I was sort of surprised by his level of openness.”

Theroux continued, “I suppose everyone curates a persona that they present in public and I’m sure he does as well, but his curatorial choice seemed to be that he’ll speak about anything. Occasionally he deflects a bit, but I never felt that he was especially unwilling to talk about stuff, so it’s a very soul-bearing interview.”

Watch Louis Theroux Interviews: Pete Doherty here.

According to “The Sun“, the 29-year-old has chatted to an American self-help book publisher about his behaviour and how he got over it. The “I Don’t Care”-hitmaker described himself as someone with a “very, very addictive personality.” But apparently he isn’t the only celebrity: As he’s currently reading Sir Elton Johns book, Sheeran realised the similarities between the two musicians. “He would be like, ‘I would just go on an ice cream binge and eat four fucking desserts until I throw it up’, and I was like, ‘I’ve done that before’”, he said.

But it’s not only the food that Sheeran has consumed a lot. “I’m covered in tattoos and I kind of don’t do things by halves so if I’m gonna drink, I see no point in having a glass of wine. I’d rather have two bottles”, he confessed. He is aware that it’s the things that you want to do more that are actually the worst for you: “I think things like sugar, sweet stuff, junk food, cocaine, alcohol, it feels good the more you do, but it’s the worst thing for you, I think.”

A brave response from @EdSheeran_EU . Sadly many people people become homeless when they don't recognise their problem. Help those who help all forms of addiction @TurningPointUK and the homeless @IHAG_homeless in Ed's patch. https://t.co/epnK4dR8fi

— Christopher McEwen (@Bimble50) July 27, 2020

The trigger for his excessive behaviour was being on tour. As much as he loves to perform to different crowds every night, the touring process comes with a lot of loneliness and with a lot of bad habits. “Every day is a party because every day there’ll be a new person in the town you’re visiting that you haven’t seen for a while. When I go to Manchester, I see my friend Sophie. And when I’m in Glasgow, I see my mate Graham. So every day you’re drinking and it becomes normal.”

When he got back from tour, the excessive behaviour didn’t stop, he just turned to a different sort of obsession: ““I bought 30 canvases and I painted a canvas a day for 30 days. I guess it’s kind of Jackson Pollocky. I bought house paint and then I would just layer it up by flicking it.”

But there is one person who has helped him getting over his old habits – his wife, Cherry. The singer has praised his partner for helping him changing his lifestyle and making healthy decisions. “She eats quite healthily. So I started eating quite healthily with her. She doesn’t drink that much so I wasn’t drinking.”