George Michael: I haven’t used cannabis for more than 18 months
George Michael says he is no longer using cannabis and instead prefers watching episodes of Coronation Street.
“I decided to change my life and I haven’t touched it,” the gay singer told the Big Issue magazine.
The Wham! star received an eight-week prison sentence in 2010 after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs, following an incident where he crashed his car into a photo shop in London.
“Jail wasn’t great. I just thought, get your head down and get on with it. It turned out to be easier than I was expecting because I knew I deserved to be there,” he said.
“It was very frightening… I was just so grateful to come out alive,” said the singer, who added it was “a pretty horrible experience”.
The star said he was now living a much more sedate lifestyle and enjoyed watching ITV soap Coronation Street.
“I watch Corrie especially because it’s more of a laugh. Even when life is tragic on Coronation Street, it’s still funny,” he said.
But he criticised EastEnders’ for its treatment of gay characters.
He said: “I hope for their sakes and the sake of gay kids in this country, regardless of their cultural background, that EastEnders gets a clue and begins to acknowledge their responsibility and provide us with gay characters that have no reason to live in fear. We do exist.”
