Elle Macpherson has admitted to using cocaine during her modeling years.
The Australian supermodel, 60, speaks at length about her harrowing addiction and journey to sobriety in her memoir, Elle: life, lessons and learning to trust yourself.
In one chapter she revealed how she regularly got drunk and drank ‘shots of vodka’ after putting her sons Cy, 21, and Flynn Busson, 26, to bed when they were younger.
Now Elle has admitted to previously using drugs in a shock confession on Wednesday’s The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Elle said she used cocaine to lose weight, a common side effect of abusing the drug.
Radio presenter Kyle Sandilands told her: ‘I made the mistake, and I’m happy to admit it, of thinking I would lose weight by using cocaine for 10 years. Have I lost weight now? No, I didn’t. I felt bloated.’
Elle Macpherson has admitted to using cocaine during her modeling years
In response, Elle admitted, “I did!”
Her comment came as she discussed why she controversially turned to holistic healing methods instead of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.
“It wasn’t like there was a golden bullet, a golden nugget, that you could just take and say, ‘Okay, this ultimately guarantees greater well-being,’” she said.
“And I think that, and sometimes it’s a combination, you know, it’s not either-or, maybe it’s a combination of things.
‘People should just explore and find out what appeals to them and get as much advice as possible.’
In her memoir, Elle – who was dubbed ‘The Body’ at the age of 25 – details the depths of her addiction struggles before quitting alcohol and getting sober in 2003.
She told how she would get drunk from taking ‘shots of vodka’ after putting her sons Cy and Flynn – who she shares with her ex Arpad ‘Arki’ Busson – to bed as children.
“My life looked great to everyone. I was doing beautifully on the outside, but deep inside I was really struggling,” she wrote in her book.
While discussing her wellness journey over the past few years, Elle revealed that she has been using cocaine as a way to lose weight — a common side effect of abusing the drug.
After the birth of her youngest child, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit girl recalled being consumed with the desire to drink a bottle of champagne that had been given to her as a gift.
Despite receiving a warning from her two naturopaths that drinking too soon after giving birth would disrupt her hormones, Elle admitted that when she was left alone with Cy, all she could think about was that bottle of champagne in the ice bucket.
She then turned to vodka to relax in the evenings, desperately trying to maintain her perfect public image.
At the time, she was in a relationship with the French financier Arki, who was often away on business during the week, leaving her to care for the two children alone.
Despite considering going to rehab, she told Arki that she was doing well and returned to work after Cy’s birth to prove that motherhood had not slowed her down.
“I loved spending time with Arki and… I wanted to prove to him that I would be his partner in fun and business, while being the mother of his sons,” she wrote.
‘I went out, drank, partied and got sick again. It became a constant repetition: I was in a terrible downward spiral.’
Elle also confessed to experiencing terrifying blackouts and turned to alcohol as a way to cope with her anxiety.
In her memoir, Elle revealed how she would get drunk and start drinking ‘shots of vodka’ after putting her sons Cy, 21, and Flynn Busson, 26, to bed when they were younger.
‘I often drank after putting my children to bed. I sat down by myself and drank a shot of vodka, and then I wrote to-do lists and letters to my family. I would do housework, listen to music until about 11 p.m., then go to bed and pass out,” she explained.
Those closest to Elle began to suspect something was wrong, and so did she naturopaths – alternative practitioners who focus on healing – were among the first to propose rehabilitation.
Once in rehab in Arizona, Elle recalled feeling “humiliated and angry” when she was grouped with people who were anorexic because of her thinness.
Ultimately, she said, rehab justified putting her in that group because she realized she had “some control” over her diet.
While in rehab, she went by “Mac” to keep a low profile due to her concerns about being recognized due to her fame.
Elle gave up alcohol after her stint in rehab in 2003 and recently celebrated 20 years of sobriety.
Overcoming her alcohol addiction led her to take a more holistic approach to her life and when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.
Elle, who is now in remission, channeled her passion for spirituality in her recently released memoir, where she shared a little-known detail about her audiobook.
Elle gave up alcohol after her stint in rehab in 2003 and has since adopted a more holistic approach to her health, recently celebrating 20 years of sobriety
On The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Elle revealed how her boyfriend, musician Doyle Bramhall II, recorded music for each chapter of her audiobook to “heal” listeners.
“We scored the audiobook, but now we’re in the process of releasing a soundtrack for the audiobook with the music he wrote for it,” she shared.
“Very unusual, but if anyone hasn’t had a chance to try that yet, it’s really cool. He has scored music to fit each chapter – for the beginning and end of the chapter – and it is all infused with healing music.
“It’s under his guitar or piano or whatever he’s playing, so when people listen to it, they benefit from it themselves for the reader.”
Elle recently faced criticism for ‘dangerously’ promoting the holistic treatment she received during her battle with breast cancer.
Elle went against the advice of 32 doctors by refusing chemotherapy after undergoing a lumpectomy for HER2-positive estrogen-receptive intraductal carcinoma.
Instead, she underwent eight months of intensive therapy with doctors in Phoenix, Arizona, detailing in her memoir how she took a more holistic path.