Ozzy relapse left Sharon ‘devastated’

Ozzy Osbourne went to a “very dark place” during his 18-month relapse into drink and drugs, confirms his wife and manager Sharon.

But she insists the couple will survive, and that they’ve been through worse.

Earlier this month the Black Sabbath vocalist admitted he’d fallen off the wagon while the band worked on their new album 13, but added that he’d managed to sober himself up at the beginning of March.

In a Facebook statement Ozzy said: “I was an asshole to the people I love most: my family. I would like to apologise to Sharon, my friends and my bandmates for my insane behavior during this period – and my fans.”

News that he and his wife were living apart led to speculation that they were preparing to divorce. But Sharon said on her CBS TV show The Talk yesterday: “Everything that was printed in the tabloids has been distorted.

“The only thing that’s true is the Facebook posting that my husband did, where he said he’s been using alcohol and prescription drugs for the last year and a half, and that he’s been an asshole, and he’s been in a very dark place. That’s true. It’s very true.

“I never knew that he was using prescription drugs. I knew he was drinking occasionally, but I didn’t realise the extent.

“Everybody knows he’s been struggling with this his entire life. It’s our business; we’re dealing with it. Am I upset? Yes, I am. I’m devastated right now. We’re not getting divorced, however.”

Sharon describes Ozzy’s addiction issues as “a disease that not only hurts the person who has it, but it hurts the family, the people who love you.”

But she insists: “We’ve dealt with worse, and we will deal with it, and this, too, shall pass. Otherwise, my husband will be taken to hospital to get my foot removed from his ass.”

Last week Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi credited Ozzy with forcing him to see a doctor, leading to the discovery and treatment for his lymphoma. The band release 13 on June 10 and tour the UK in December. Two tracks have been heard so far: God Is Dead? and The End Is The Beginning.

-Classic Rock