The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins spiralled into a deep drug addiction before being a contestant on The Masked Singer .
At the height of the band's fame in 2003, The Darkness's festive hit Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) made a whopping £1million in the month of December alone.
But with the fame excess came plenty of temptations, and Justin soon gave in to the fast life of being a rockstar.
This saw him spiral into a drug addiction dark hole where he famously blew £150,000 on cocaine over a three-year period.
His addiction saw him checking into the Priory to deal with his alcohol and substance abuse problems, which resulted in the group splitting up in 2006.
Despite the heavy public downfall, Justin said in 2013 that he's thankful for the Christmas hit.
Speaking in 2013, he said: “It’s 10 years old now, but thank God Christmas songs are timeless.
“When I’m walking around Tesco and you can hear our Christmas song from mid-November onwards I do hear the sound of a small pound coin entering a piggy bank in my head.
“Then I think, ‘Ah yes, I will buy the Tesco Finest range instead of economy.’”
The 'sex, drugs and rock & roll' lifestyle dragged Justin down to his lowest of lows, so much so that he recalled waking up in first class on a plane dressed in a fancy dress costume after wetting himself.
His behaviour caused a rift between him and his brother Dan (The Darkness's guitarist) after which the brothers didn't speak to each other for two years.
But those dark days are long gone for Justin, as he is now a contestant on The Masked Singer.
Justin even revealed he skipped his best mate’s nuptials to appear on the show.
The singer, who finally removed his reptilian oven gloves and peeled off his Lycra suit, says: “I was supposed to be best man at a wedding in Australia, but it was too good to turn down.
"I used a combination of bluffery, bare-faced lies and vague muttering to explain my absences. I’m basically James Bond.”
Justin, 44, hinted he’ll wear the costume to a wedding in future, so that’s something for his pal to look forward to.
Explaining why he appeared on the show – despite The Darkness having a new single out with Abbey Clancy in the video – he said: “I wanted to take part in something that would be slightly surreal, and the secrecy made it exciting.”
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033
