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Billy Idol Claims Smoking Crack Helped Him Quit Heroin: 'It Worked'

Billy Idol revealed the unexpected substance that helped him quit heroin

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During a Monday, March 2 appearance on Club Random with Bill Maher, the "White Wedding" performer spoke about how smoking crack helped him wean off of the substance
Idol has previously revealed that he nearly died of a heroin overdose in London in 1984

Billy Idolrevealed the surprising substance that helped him kick his heroin habit.

During a Monday, March 2 appearance onClub Random with Bill Maher, the "White Wedding" performer spoke about how smoking crack helped him wean off of the substance.

"Once you're trying to get off heroin, what do you go to? You go to something else," said Idol, 70.

Billy Idol in March 2025 in Los AngelesCredit: Christopher Polk/Variety/Getty

He continued, "I started smoking crack to get off heroin."

Bill Maherthen asked if he "really" did that, to which Idol replied, "It worked. It worked."

In his documentaryBilly Idol Should Be Dead,which premiered at Tribeca festival in June 2025, the "Eyes Without a Face" artist reflected on his near-fatal overdose in London in 1984 in the midst of the success of his second albumRebel Yell.

At the time, Idol had found major success in the United States but had decided to return to England as a sort of victory lap, "because I'd done it."

Billy Idol on 'Club Random with Bill Maher' in March 2026Credit: Club Random Podcast/Youtube

"I was coming back in triumph and I nearly ruined it," said Idol at the time. "We flew to London where we met a load of our pals that we knew. They had some of the strongest heroin. Everybody did a line or so and they all nodded out except for me and this mate of mine."

Idol recalled doing more of the heroin with his friend while the rest of the group passed out,

"I was basically dying. I was turning blue," he recalled. "So they put me in an ice cold bath and I remember them walking me around on the top of the building, on the roof."

In the doc, the Grammy-nominated singer explains the allure of drugs during his hard-partying days, saying it was something that the rock scene really "embraced" at the time.Additionally in the documentary, Idol revealed that he ultimately gave up heroin for good after a wild trip to Bangkok that resulted in him and a friend racking up an estimated $75,000 in damages to a hotel. At the time, hisson Willem, who was born in 1988, was a baby.

Idol recalled passing out in an elevator at one point with the elevator doors opening and closing on him.

Billy Idol in April 2025 in New York CityCredit: Jason Mendez/Getty

Inan exclusive interview with PEOPLE in May 2024, he revealed that he was "California sober."

He said he chose "not be a drug addict anymore" after a 1990 motorcycle accident he was involved inwhere he almost lost his leg.

"I really started to think I should try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore and stuff like that," Idol recalled. "It took a long time, but gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline where I'm not really the same kind of guy I was in the '80s. I'm not the same drug addicted person."

He continued: "I mean, AA would say, 'You're always a drug addict.' And that may be true, but I don't do anything that much anymore. I got over it somehow. I was really lucky that I could get over it because a lot of people can't."

Once in a while, Idol said he can imbibe once in a while without it affecting him."I can have a glass of wine every now and again," he said. "I don't have to do nothing. But at the same time, I'm not the drug addict that I was in the peak '70s, '80s."

Billy Idol Should Be Deadwas released on Thursday, Feb. 26.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

Read the original article onPeople

byDonna Devi

in

March 04, 2026

Billy Idol Claims Smoking Crack Helped Him Quit Heroin: 'It Worked'

Billy Idol revealed the unexpected substance that helped him quit heroin NEED TO KNOW During a Monday, March ...

Valerie Bertinelli Reveals She Was Sexually Abused at Age 11: 'I Don't Feel Shame About It Anymore. I'm Pissed Off That It Happened' (Exclusive)

Valerie Bertinelli reveals in her new memoir Getting Naked that she was sexually abused at age 11, telling PEOPLE in this week's cover story, "It doesn't feel like it owns me anymore."

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The star, 65, says that the process of opening up about it has taken her "at least" a decade as she was forced to confront shame and self-criticism that was rooted in her childhood trauma.
Calling herself "a survivor," Bertinelli credits her son Wolfgang Van Halen, cooking and her work on The Drew Barrymore Show with helping her move forward and focus on the positive.

"I had no plans to reveal this," saysValerie Bertinelli. "This was going to be a book about teaching people how to love themselves. I did not know that I would go this far."

For the first time, the star, 65, is revealing that she was sexually abused at 11 years old.

"I guess because I'm healing from it, it's not so scary anymore," Bertinelli tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "I can say it out loud. I was sexually assaulted. It doesn't feel like it owns me anymore."

It's part of the "raw truth" that Bertinellii shares in her new book,Getting Naked,out on March 10 from Harper Wave. "It's about getting getting naked with who I am, emotionally, physically," she says. "It was really about getting to the nitty gritty and getting to the parts that I thought were shameful and come to find out they're not. They're all kinds of different facets of what makes us who we are."

Valerie Bertinelli photographed for PEOPLE on February 16, 2026.Credit: Andrew Eccles

To open that chapter of the book, Bertinelli "purposely" included a picture of herself at 11 years old "because that was the little girl that was sexually abused," she says. "And it boggles my mind that this little girl was taken advantage of that way. It boggles my mind because it's still happening ... and I'm furious about it. And we need to start speaking up and saying, 'Enough.'"

"It's taken me 10 years at least," she explains of her decision to come forward. "The very first time I said it out loud to my therapist, I thoughtI'm going to feel better now.It got worse before it got better. I maybe ate a little bit more, drank a little bit more. When you stop eating things for comfort, stop drinking alcohol, it exposes your feelings. You can deal with them or not. And I chose to deal with them. I don't feel shame about it anymore. I'm pissed off that it happened. Nobody deserves that."

And then came 2024, a rough year for Bertinelli. "I had a huge anxiety attack at the end of 2024 that brought me to my knees," she says. "And I thoughtI'm not getting anywhere. I needed to do more work." That meant digging into what was behind the body shame and the self criticism that she'd long held over the years.

Valerie Bertinelli at age 11Credit: Courtesy Valerie Bertinelli

"All of that shame had nothing to do with my body," she says. "It was just something to take out my shame on. My poor body. I was so mean to it. I just needed to get all those voices out of my head. As I was going through that, I'm thinking people are going to wonder, why do I have so much self loathing? That's not normal. It's because trauma happened in my childhood for the most part. I can't speak for anybody else but it's pretty textbook."

Asked what she was like at 11 years old, she says, "I loved to color, read, play with my Barbies and ride my bike around the block. I loved my cats. I was just a little girl."

Looking back, she simply says, "I'm a survivor."

Through all the turmoil, Bertinelli still leads with her heart. It's all part of the emotional connection she shares with fans who've followed her for decades, from the time she was 15 years old onOne Day at a Time, toHot in Cleveland (with her good friendBetty White) and now as part of the "Drew Crew" onThe Drew Barrymore Show.

She credits her work on the show withDrew Barrymore, which she calls "an oasis," and the love and support of her son,Wolfgang Van Halen, and her love of cooking with helping her heal. And she's focusing on the positive, along with her new digital platform,Valerie's Place. "I want to build a community where everybody is welcome. It's a place where people can come in to my kitchen and cook with me because I've missed that a lot."

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

Take PEOPLE with you!Subscribe to PEOPLE magazineto get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.

Getting Nakedby Valerie Bertinelli comes out March 10 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

Read the original article onPeople

byDonna Devi

in

March 04, 2026

Valerie Bertinelli Reveals She Was Sexually Abused at Age 11: ‘I Don't Feel Shame About It Anymore. I’m Pissed Off That It Happened’ (Exclusive)

Valerie Bertinelli reveals in her new memoir Getting Naked that she was sexually abused at age 11, telling PEOPLE in th...

Annabel Schofield, model and actress, died after being diagnosed with brain cancer on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles

Annabel Schofield on May 18, 1987 in Los Angeles CaliforniaCredit: Paul Harris/Getty

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The 62-year-old model was best known for her work as a model in the 1980s and collaboration with fashion photographer David Bailey
At the height of her modeling career, she appeared as a recurring character on Dallas

Supermodel and actress Annabel Schofield has died after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Schofield died at age 62 on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. Following her diagnosis, theDallasactress posted updates about her health to aGoFundMeaccount created to help her with expenses following the diagnosis, with her final update on Jan. 18. In the update, Schofield shared that she had recently undergone emergency surgery to remove a mass from her nasal cavity.

Schofield was born on September 4, 1963, in Llanelli, Wales. Her father was British movie production executive John D. Schofield, who was involved in the production of numerous films, includingJerry MaguireandAs Good As It Gets.

Schofield later moved to London, where she began her modeling career. She would go on to appear on the covers of "hundreds" of fashion magazines, includingVogueGermany andItalianVogue,per the outlet.

Annabel Schofield on July 29, 1989, in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Paul Harris/Getty

Melissa Richardson, the owner of London's Take Two Agency, which began representing Schofield early in her career, reflected on the late model's life, describing her work as essential to the agency's success.

"She was the forerunner of Take Two — without her, we could never have made it as we did. We loved her because she was funny and real and beautiful and down to earth," Richardson said, perTHR. "She never changed from the sweet little 17-year-old Welsh girl I first met. She was directly loyal, caring, and above all, a raging beauty. She knew her craft. She was the best."

She would also work as a model for designer and beauty campaigns, including Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Rimmel, and Revlon. Her appearance in a late 1980s Bugle Boy Jeans commercial, in which she said "Excuse me, are those Bugle Boy jeans you're wearing?" while driving a sports car, was especially memorable.

Annabel SchofieldCredit: Michael Buckner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

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In the midst of her successful modeling career, she relocated to Los Angeles and was cast in a recurring role on the hit primetime soap,Dallas. For 12 episodes, she would star as Laurel Ellis, performing opposite Larry Hagman's J.R. Ewing, in the series' 11th season.

Annabel would go on to appear in feature films, includingEye of the Widow.She also worked behind the camera, serving as a crew member onThe Brothers Grimm, DoomandCity of Ember.

Later in life, she founded her own production company, Bella Bene Productions, for which she produced commercials and fashion projects. Then in 2013, she wrote a novel calledThe Cherry Alignment, inspired by her time as a model and actress in the 1980s.

She is survived by her mother and was predeceased by her father and her sister, Amanda Schofield.

Read the original article onPeople

byDonna Devi

in

March 04, 2026

Annabel Schofield, “Dallas” Actress and Model, Dies At 62

Annabel Schofield, model and actress, died after being diagnosed with brain cancer on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles ...

Here's how many people really watched Bad Bunny's halftime show

Bad Bunnymademusic historywith hisSuper Bowl halftime showperformance, and now he has the hard facts to back it up.

The reggaeton superstar, whoheadlined Apple Music's Super Bowl LX Halftime Showin February, set a new record after global viewership numbers were tallied, Roc Nationannounced in a press releaseon Monday, March 2.

According to the Jay-Z-run entertainment company, which oversees the halftime show, Bad Bunny's halftime performance brought in 4.157 billion views globally within 24 hours. The viewership figure includes global and U.S. broadcast, YouTube and digital properties.

The singer's Feb. 8 halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers in the U.S., NBC Sports previously reported, trailing behindKendrick Lamar's 2025 performance. But with the global viewership total, Bad Bunny now has the most-watched halftime show performance of all time, per Roc Nation.

Fresh off a historic win at the Grammys, Bad Bunny headlines the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Feb. 8, 2026. See the photos.