Eminem’s drug struggle

Eminem was once “hours away” from death. The ‘We Made You’ rapper – who has previously spoken about his battle with a prescription drug addiction – admits that he felt “weak” admitting to having a problem.

He said: “It took me awhile to admit I actually did have a problem. In the hip-hop world that I live in, it can be mistaken for weakness and the last thing you want to do in hip-hop is admit that you’re weak. But if I didn’t admit I was weak with this certain thing I was going to die.”

The 37-year-old star – whose real name is Marshall Mathers – struggled to answer how he would help someone who was suffering from the same problem as him.

He told US TV show ‘Showbiz Tonight’: “That’s a tough question. I don’t know how you avoid it. I mean, I could say the cliched things, make sure you stay on the right path, you make the right decisions in life. You know, fame is a funny thing, man, especially, you know, actors, musicians, rappers, rock singers, it’s kind of a lifestyle and it’s easy to get caught up in it – you go to bars, you go to clubs, everyone’s doing a certain thing. It’s tough.”

Eminem has previously admitted he turned to Sir Elton John for support when he wanted to overcome his addiction to painkillers.

He said: “I talk to Elton a lot. We became friends and I talk to him about things, career wise. And he had a substance abuse problem in the past. So when I first wanted to get sober, I called him and spoke to him about it because, he’s somebody who’s in the business and can identify and relate to the lifestyle.

“Me and him have had similar lives and stuff. So I reached out to him and told him, ‘Look, I’m going through a problem and I need your advice.’ “