Danny O’Donoghue reveals sad reason he quit alcohol for good and why he’s started therapy
DANNY O’DONOGHUE has told how the death of his The Script bandmate Mark Sheehan drove him to finally go sober – and rediscover the church.
Danny, frontman for the Irish rockers, spent years abusing alcohol but hit the bottle big time after Mark passed away from a short illness in April last year.
That resulted in an extremely boozy Christmas back home in Ireland, which then gave him the kick he needed to clean up his act.
Danny said: “I’ve never been into hard drugs but I smoked a bit over the years, but alcohol was a big one and depression was a massive one.
“Because Mark passed away, I’ve had this epiphany, I guess. I called a therapist straight away.”
Recalling the moment he realised he needed to fix things, he added: “I said, ‘If I stay in Dublin much longer, this is just so bad for me’. I cut it short, went home to the UK where I have my studio and where my girlfriend lives.
“I said, ‘That’s it, I’m finished drinking, I’m finished smoking, I’m finished with any stimulant like caffeine – anything’.
“That was 27th December. I gave up everything that day. On top of that, I bit the bullet and I went back to church.”
Danny, whose band’s new album Satellites is out next month, also told the How To Fail podcast about his faith and belief in something greater.
He said: “When you’re a teenager and in your twenties, it’s sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, and that’s the last thing you’re thinking of.
He added: “I know that I’m smart enough to know that I’m dumb enough to know that I’ll never know.”
Kendall pose is daylight robbery
KENDALL JENNER is doing exactly what I love to do when it’s hot and sticky outside – lie around by a pool.
Unlike me, she wrapped herself up in a see-through Latex dress, which is far more revealing than my swimsuits – and far sweatier. But it didn’t stop her getting into a series of poses for Vogue France.
In one, she hoisted a huge boulder aloft, while rocking a slinky silver number by the sea. And she knocked spots off the competition on the front page in a polka dot bikini.
Kendall is determined to ensure her career will last for decades. She told the magazine: “I dream, above all, of longevity. Even when I’m older, I hope people will still think of me. I’d like to stay in the limelight as the years go by.”
Speaking about where she sees herself in ten years, she added: “I would love to have a family, become a mother and have children.”
HE has overcome battles with drink and drugs, but The Who’s Pete Townshend has revealed he is hooked on online shopping.
The guitarist said: “I go on Amazon and I buy things that I’ve already got. I don’t know why I do that. It’s an encumbrance. I’ve got an electric toothbrush, why did I buy another one?
“I think everybody is an addict, so I don’t blame addiction on anything but the fact I’m a human being.
“So if I have addictions now, and I think I do, although they’re not alcohol and drugs, it’s because I’m a human being. I need dopamine.”
Pete, right, who has been sober for over 30 years, believes the glorification of drink and drugs in the group’s heyday led to stars dying prematurely.
His bandmates Keith Moon and John Entwistle both died from accidental drug overdoses.
He told the What It Takes podcast: “Keith, in one show in San Francisco, he took two elephant tranquillisers before he got on stage to perform with us.
“Literally, went one, two, three, four, and collapsed. The idea that it was all a fantastic game . . .
“I just drank. I had an experience later in life with drugs, I had my little stab at it, but it was a very short period.
“As of today, I haven’t drunk alcohol for nearly 32 years.”
Jen’s riding out the storm
JENNIFER LOPEZ leaves her troubles in the dust as she cycles away from divorce rumours on a break in New York holiday spot The Hamptons.
Maybe I’m a cynic, but I think the only reason J-Lo and Ben Affleck haven’t shut the marriage speculation down is because it takes the heat off her comeback tour flopping so badly she had to cancel it.
Someone give Bennifer’s publicity team a pay rise.
Get Japan festival for free
GIVEN how bloody expensive gig tickets are these days, it can be a nightmare trying to watch your favourite artists live.
So it’s great that as official supporters of the Fuji Rock Festival this weekend, Amazon Music is livestreaming acts including The Killers, Fontaines DC, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Teddy Swims and The Last Dinner Party.
Fans around the world will be able to tune in on Prime Video and Amazon Music to watch the action from the Naeba Ski Resort in Japan from Friday to Sunday.
If you already subscribe, it’ll be in your package. If not, you can sign up for a free trial.
Just don’t forget to cancel.
Bum’s the word… it’s a glass act
MOST acts aim for a No1 with a new album, but Glass Animals are going for a No2.
The Brit four-piece released I Love You So F***ing Much on Friday and have now turned three cassette copies into toilet seat lids – which fans can get their hands, and bums, on.
They have already shifted two online for £1,100 each.
The third will be given away at random to anyone who orders a CD, cassette or vinyl from their online shop before the end of today.
The see-through lid, which has the cassette suspended in the middle, was made by artist Bailey Hikawa in Los Angeles.
A description on the band’s website says: “Highest quality durable resin that will last a lifetime.
“It’s pretty much a family heirloom that you can pass down to your kids.”
If you say so, lads.
Perfect time for Blossoms
BLOSSOMS have dropped new single Perfect Me, which will be on album Gary, out on September 20.
Singer Tom Ogden and co are in good company, as Pixies have also released their latest song, Chicken, from The Night The Zombies Came, which will be released on October 25.
Pixies’ world tour arrives in the UK on August 20, with a first stop in Glasgow before they play All Points East festival in London and Victorious festival in Portsmouth over the following few days.
Arriving tomorrow, Kamille’s new single Freak will be available to stream. The funky track is taken from her upcoming project K2.
Riri has a smalls secret
I DON’T know how she does it, but Rihanna comes across as effortlessly cool in practically anything.
She looked like she had dashed through a jumble sale to put together this outfit, but still pulled it off.
It turns out she does think about her outfits quite carefully, though – right down to the smalls detail.
Rihanna wrote on Instagram: “Since I clearly won’t be achieving my six-pack till next summer, I switched my summer goal to matching my shoes to my panties!”
I doubt I could even achieve that.
lSHE went in disguise in this hat, sunglasses and silver bomber jacket, but there was no mistaking Lady Gaga while she was out and about in Paris.
The singer is expected to be one of the star performers at the Olympics opening ceremony, which is set to kick off at 5.45pm on BBC One on Friday.
That’s not the only thing making this week special for Gaga – the trailer for her movie Joker 2: Folie A Deux premiered on Tuesday and racked up more than nine million views in its first 24 hours.
The film, due out in October, will see her play The Joker’s girlfriend, Harley Quinn, and even belt out a tune.
CHER is so iconic she needs TWO memoirs to tell the story of her life.
The Believe singer has announced Cher: The Memoir, Part One will go on sale on November 19 after years in the making.
But after struggling to fit everything in, it will be followed at a later date by a second instalment.