Pete Doherty reveals type 2 diabetes diagnosis as he provides health update
He previously said in a documentary with Louis Theroux which aired last year that he was a ‘very sick man’ due to his lifestyle.
Pete Doherty revealed he has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as he continues to battle with health issues.
The Libertines singer and guitarist, 44, has spoken openly about his struggle with alcohol and drugs abuse over the years, which has seen him arrested on a number of occasions.
He previously said in a documentary with Louis Theroux which aired last year that he was a “very sick man” due to his lifestyle.
In an interview with the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, he said: “I gave up the main poisons and my health improved.
“Then you get told alcohol and cheese and sugar are just as bad and you were healthier when you were on heroin.”
He admitted that he is “a bit of a glutton”, adding: “It’s not a joke. I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
“And at the moment I’m lacking the discipline to tackle cholesterol.”
Reflecting on his relationship with his father, he said: “I love him so much and I feel that a big part of me changing the way I’m living my life, particularly since I got married and stopped taking heroin, is to be accepted by him.
“I think it’s too much for him to see past.”
He added: “I think I’ve done things that have made our relationship better, but in my heart I still feel I can’t… I don’t know.
“I’d have to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final for my dad to say all is forgiven, or make a million from selling this album.
“When I go up there with Billie-May and my wife, he says to me, ‘Are you still trying with the music?’.
“If I picked him up in a limo with a chauffeur or had a helicopter landing he’d be like, ‘Oh, yeah!’.
“But for me I’ve always been happy to write songs that I’m f****** proud of. Maybe I’m still really seeking it.”
Doherty welcomed a baby girl, named Billie-May Doherty, with his wife Katia de Vidas in May last year.
The couple, who are in the band the Puta Madres with de Vidas on keyboard and Doherty as the frontman, married in 2021. Doherty also has a son and a daughter from previous relationships.
His friend and fellow Libertines frontman Carl Barat said he was not surprised that Doherty was still alive as he feels he is “too smart to die”.
Doherty added: “I always wanted to see the result of things. I don’t switch the telly off halfway through election night. I want to see what happens.”
However, Doherty admitted he was surprised Barat was still around, recalling: “There were times I worried about him so much, particularly in the early days…
“He wasn’t very stable.”
The rock band are releasing their first new album in nine years, titled All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, in April.
The four-piece – consisting of Doherty, Barat, John Hassall on bass and Gary Powell on drums – have previously released three albums across 2002 to 2015 which include hits Don’t Look Back Into The Sun and Can’t Stand Me Now.
Alongside his time in The Libertines, Doherty’s other musical projects include indie band Babyshambles and the Puta Madres.
