Pop singer George Michael this week denied previous reports that he is battling a crack addiction, partying too hard, and at times "waking up in vomit."
"To my lovelies, do not believe this rubbish in the papers today by someone I don't know anymore and haven't seen for nearly 18 years," the former Wham! heartthrob
wrote Sunday on Twitter.
"I am perfectly fine and enjoyed Wimbledon like the rest of you. Wish it went to 5 sets though!" he added.
Previously,
The Sun U.K. had published a lurid report about Michael after speaking with Jackie Georgiou, the wife of George’s cousin Andros.
She apparently told the tabloid that Michael, 52, had become a crack-addled mess over the past year, had to check into a Swiss rehabilitation clinic, and is now continuing treatment as an outpatient.
"He was smoking crack. Before he went away he got to the point where he would be shaking, saying 'I need it,'" she told the paper.
"There were parties where he was taking drugs and collapsing and being picked up off the floor. Waking up in vomit, horrible things. He was so thin, so ill. It’s crack, it’s marijuana, it’s drink, it’s coke. It was pretty dark and things were getting darker. He was going to end up locked up or dead. I’m petrified he will die."
She said further that she hoped Michael's boyfriend, Lebanese hairdresser Fadi Fawaz, 41, could help save him from his addictions.
"I’d love to see him back on stage doing what he did best. That’s when he was happiest. That’s why it’s so sad to see his demise. He needs to find something to live for again," she concluded.