The Babyshambles man says he was forced to cancel his Irish tour in October after his heart stopped resulting him being put on a life support machine.

At the time Doherty's reps stated that the singer was hospitalised due to “exhaustion and breathing difficulties.”

Speaking to NME.com, Doherty said: "If I hadn't been on a life support machine I'd have been in Ireland, but my heart stopped."

However, the 30-year-old insists that the medical emergency was brought on by drug use.

He continued: "(The doctors') immediate thought was that it was to do with drugs but it wasn't.

"What happened? Well, I don't know. I don't remember. I was running into the walls, making steering wheel signs with my hands. And then I just… stopped. My body just stopped."

Since the incident, Doherty has played a number of low-key shows with Babyshambles and is about to embark on a full UK tour in December.

(by Scott Colothan)