James Argent: TOWIE star says he is ‘cocaine addict’ and suffered two near-fatal overdoses

James Argent has opened up about his cocaine addiction and how he suffered two near-fatal overdoses after hitting “rock bottom”.

Last year, reports emerged that the Only Way is Essex star had to be “rushed to hospital” over fears he had “suffered a drug overdose”, however Argent later claimed that it was a “misunderstanding”.

Now, the 32-year-old has decided to speak out about the claims and revealed the extent of his cocaine addiction.

In a new interview with The Sun, Argent recalled how the emergency services had to knock down a door after he overdosed back in October 2019.

The singer said he had locked himself in his home and “took drugs for three days straight” on his own.

“I was at rock bottom,” he explained. “My heart was beating out of my chest, my nose was bleeding, I was shaking and my breathing was terrible.

“My family were banging on the door screaming, ‘Open up’ but I wasn’t answering the door to anyone. They feared I’d overdosed and was dead in the house.”

Argent added that his girlfriend, Gemma Collins, called an ambulance and that he felt “so scared” when the paramedics arrived because he was suffering from paranoia and psychosis.

The singer then explained how he put his life in more danger once more after overdosing for a second time just two months later on the night before his birthday, which falls on 5 December.

“My addiction was so bad I couldn’t stop myself,” Argent said, admitting that he regularly spent £500 a week on his cocaine habit.

“I started early and was in a terrible place. I locked myself in, phone was off and my parents and friends were banging on the door again.”

An ambulance was called again and when the paramedics arrived Argent was warned that he had caused so much damage to his heart that he “could die”.

“I’ll never forget being in the ambulance with my poor mum,” he said.

The reality TV star went on to explain that the turning point towards recovery came on Christmas Day when he found himself at home, alone, eating a kebab.

Argent reached out to his best friend, Mark Wright, on Boxing Day for help, and spent the next 10 weeks at a boot camp in Thailand before returning to the UK where he regularly visits a local out-patient facility to maintain his sobriety.

Now, Argent hopes to resume his career as a singer with his group, The Arg Band, and says he wants to “own” his past addiction troubles like other famous faces including Davina McCall, Russell Brand and Robbie Williams.

“I look up to those people and they inspire me,” he said. “I feel like they’ve got a similar story to me and they’ve owned it and they’ve got themselves better and gone on to achieve incredible things so why can’t I?”

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: mind.org.uk, actiononaddiction.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk, samaritans.org.