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Pete Doherty in 2022 on the sidelines of his exhibition “Contain yourself (seriously)” in Berlin
Photo: Soeren Stache / dpa
For many years, British indie rocker Pete Doherty was a symbol of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
Most recently, however, he lived in seclusion with his family in France.
Now he told the Guardian in an interview that he was suffering from diabetes.
»I'm a glutton.
That's no joke.
“I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,” the 44-year-old is quoted as saying.
He has "given up a lot of poisons," he says, in order to be an active father in the life of his daughter Billie-May.
She was born last summer.
Doherty already has two other children from previous relationships.
Billie-May is the first child with wife Katia deVidas.
»My health has improved.
But then you're told that alcohol and cheese and sugar are just as bad and that you were healthier when you were on heroin," says Doherty.
At the moment he lacks the discipline to make his diet and lifestyle healthier.
In the interview, Doherty also talks to his bandmate Carl Barât about the breakup of the band Libertines and their reunion.
Asked if he was surprised that Doherty was still alive, Barât said: "No, he's too smart to die.
He never intended to die.”
Doherty was the singer of indie bands The Libertines and Babyshambles;
he continues to make music.
He has regularly made headlines for drugs and alcohol in the past.
His on-off relationship with model Kate Moss (50) in the noughties also made him a frequent motif on the covers of gossip magazines.
Doherty now also paints; in 2022 he exhibited his pictures in Berlin.
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease in which blood sugar levels are elevated.
The cause is a deficiency of the hormone insulin, for which there are various reasons.
In addition to hereditary predispositions, age and lifestyle also play a role.
Proper diet and exercise help, as do medications that lower blood sugar levels.
zob/dpa