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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tina Campbell

McFly’s Dougie Poynter reveals he has been to rehab twice for ‘separate addictions’

McFly star Dougie Poynter has opened up about spending time in rehab twice for two separate addictions.

The bass guitar player, 35, who has previously admitted to losing two years of his life following a vallium addiction, spoke candididly during a chat with Busted star Matt Willis on his new podcast On The Mend.

He said: “I’ve done [rehab] twice for two separate addictions. Both times I felt like they were huge life-changing things, they were like the worst times in my life and the best, for some reason.

“I still reference my last stint in rehab now whenever I’m like not feeling quite right or something.”

The It’s All About You hitmaker said he has been “fearful” to speak about the ordeal publicly because he’s worried about “hurting” those closest to him and that it had been hard to break it to them.

Reflecting on having to tell others about his stint in rehab, the Essex-born star said: “Oh it’s horrible, that was like one of the worst parts about it.

“I think that also plays into why I’m fearful of talking about it, is more what others or friends and family will think, like how it will hurt them knowing.”

Willis, who has previously spoken about his own cocaine and alcohol addictions, replied: “Because other people feel like they failed you in a way?”

Poynter mused: “Yeah I guess, yeah - yeah. Or that like they didn’t know, what did they do wrong.

“I hated the attention, I don’t really like attention like anyway, or the focus being on me, and then when you are the problem child of that scenario and everybody’s like supportive, like amazingly supportive but that - I wanted everyone to calm down a bit like yeah it’s ok, it’s ok.

“But also amazing at the same time, then you come out the other end of it and you’re like wow these people really have my f***ing back.”

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