Osbourne: The press saved my life
Kelly Osbourne is grateful to the photographer who snapped her making a drug deal with a street dealer because it alerted her mother Sharon, who sent her straight to rehab.
The Changes star was addicted to painkillers and believes she could have died if her mother had not been made aware by the picture in a British newspaper.
The 19-year-old says of her battle against drugs: "During that time, I bought a house in Los Angeles for $1.5m (€1.2m), but I never moved into it. If I had moved in, I would not be alive right now because I would have done drugs all day by myself and you know you're an addict when you do drugs alone.
"It got to the point where I was puking blood because the Tylenol and Vicodin were rotting my stomach. Still, no one suspected me of anything.
"Then a paparazzo took a picture of me buying drugs and sent it to my mother. I thank God for that because it saved me. Detoxing was the most painful experience I've ever gone through. It feels like someone is pouncing on you."
But she persevered, explaining: "I stayed in bed and nurses made sure I didn't hyperventilate or freak out. After about a week, I had what addicts call 'the snap' - that moment when you start living again.
"One morning, I woke up and thought: 'OK, I'm going to go to the counselling sessions and follow the programme'. And it worked. I started feeling better about myself and wanted to show people who I really was."
