How cocaine has been the showbiz drug of choice for years, with impressionable stars thinking snorting coke is as normal as having a glass of wine

6

The popstar was once a member of a squeaky-clean boyband with a pre-pubescent following - now, he’s so brazenly snorting lines of cocaine that he hasn’t even bothered going into the toilet cubicle.

Coke in the celebrity world was once seen as the preserve of rock’n’roll stars or troubled actresses, but now there’s no “typical type” of user because anyone and everyone - from clean cut popstars to fitness buffs – seem to be taking the drug.

It seems that just like lip filler, detox diets and contouring, what strikes it big in the celeb world trickles down to fans too.

In fact, Home Office figures show that more people are taking cocaine than ever before, as use has doubled among adults over the last five years.

The Sun has launched the End Of The Line campaign to raise awareness of the devastating impact even casual cocaine use can have, with doctors warning that a flood of cheap and potent cocaine into the UK is fuelling suicide rates as use of the drug becomes increasingly normalised.

One insider, with in-depth knowledge of the celeb world over the last decade, told Sun Online: “The celebrity circuit is awash with casual cocaine abuse, so much so that it seems the norm to be doing it and sadly, it’s only getting worse.

Have you or your family been affected by cocaine? Tell us your story by emailing [email protected]

6

“Every party you attend nowadays has celebrities passing it between them and it’s as if it’s so normal that they don’t even try to hide it.

“I’ve seen a major international popstar literally powdering her nose in the bathroom at a music awards ceremony, as casually as it is to put on a slick of lipgloss.

“Then there was a fitness fanatic who litters Instagram with workout videos who was told by his agent to wipe the white stuff from around his nose on another celebrity night out.

"He was competing in a demanding reality contest show at the time and his blasé agent said, ‘He’s working all hours, it’s tiring.'

“Even at a charity dinner on a Monday evening, I saw three pretty and glam reality stars pop to the loo every half hour rather than eat their dinners.

“Another showbiz reporter told me she was invited to an after party at a British rapper’s house.

"Even though he knew she was a reporter, he made it clear there would be drugs involved so he clearly thought it was normal behaviour (she didn’t go).

6

"Some agents do it with their clients, I’ve seen it a house party.

"I think it always starts off as a bit of fun but some of them don’t know when to stop.

"They don't realise how far it can go, just look at the deaths of Love Island's Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon. They both had booze and coke in their systems when they died.

"Some stars get caught up in the lifestyle and then suddenly they’re at home doing it on their own and it’s not fun any more, especially if they're struggling with being in the public eye like Jack Fincham in February.

"I know it's rife in those circles - James ‘Arg’ Argent was apparently suspended from TOWIE for testing positive and his former Essex co-stars Mike Hassini and Mario Falcone have also been caught up in coke scandals in the past."

Celebrity coke scandals are nothing new. In 2003 Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews was pictured with a suspicious-looking powder at a house party.

It was never confirmed that is was Cocaine and now Spencer lives a clean and sober life with wife Vogue Williams and their baby, Theodore.

In 2014, his former MIC co-stars Binky Felstead, Louise Thompson and Jamie Laing were all pictured next to a table covered in apparent drug paraphernalia at a party in New York, while Olivia Bentley was suspended from the show in 2016 for appearing to snort the drug in a leaked video.

Another cast member, Jess Woodley was pictured dabbing a white substance during a festival in 2017.

6

It’s not just the reality circuit either, as the fashion industry has long been rumoured to be awash with the drug and singer Robbie Williams recently chatted about doing 'lots of coke'.

Our insider added: "In short, showbiz is riddled with it – but it's far from just an A-list, or a new, problem."

In fact, the number of stars who have been caught taking coke - or pictured with suspicious white powders - just reflects how prevalent cocaine is across the UK, with everyone from labourers to taxi drivers using.

Landlords have been forced to take extreme measures to keep cocaine out of their pubs, while The Sun even heard from an ex policeman who used on duty.

It seems the celebrity circuit is a microcosm for real life, with most agents reluctant to voice concerns about how common it is.

6

But one, who has been in the industry for over 20 years and admits having clients who take the drug, agreed to speak to us under anonymity.

She revealed: “I have seen this going on for years but now I think it would be stranger to go to an event and not see it being passed around.

“I think more women are taking it than men and I think that’s because of the pressures to look slim and not be papped looking like a drunken mess.

“It’s become worse since Instagram and Twitter because pictures go viral and they’re always accessible so there’s a huge pressure for celebrities to always look ‘thin’ and immaculate.

“But at the same time, they want to go to these glamorous parties and lap up all the attention.

"Alcohol makes you put on weight, or they could be caught scoffing a greasy kebab wile p****d by paps. So what do they do? They take coke instead."

6

“Not only does it suppress appetite to keep weight down but it also makes them ‘level out’ and be more in control than if they were just having booze.

“For example, I’ve had one client who takes her image very seriously, but she also gets drunk pretty easily and she literally has no control of how to top up her make-up after she’s had about two or three drinks, so she just smears her lipstick and eye-liner everywhere.

“After she got papped looking rough coming out of a party once she was so mortified that she stopped drinking after a glass or two of champagne and would take cocaine instead.

"She would still have the same high yet she would think she had more control – although it was probably more confidence.

“Also, say if you come out of Love Island, your shelf life is literally about a year until the next batch of Islanders come out – then you have pressure to make the most of it in that short time.

MORE FROM END OF THE LINE

AT WHIT'S END

'Coke gave me insane paranoia and stole my brother', says ex Man City ace

COKE ROT

Grim photos reveal how cocaine can ROT skin & genitals as new crackdown launched

HOLEY HELL

The horrific effects of cocaine eroding giant holes in roof of your mouth

DEADLY HIGH

Drug-related deaths hit record high as surge in cocaine use to blame

“You’re thrown into the party circuit, you lap it up, at the same time working all hours during the day on a brand or TV endorsements… you’re burning the candle at both ends.

“This stuff is being handed around and, one taste of it and most people are hooked. You’re instantly awake, you’re confident, speaking to people you probably wouldn’t be and wondering how life got so good.

“Then the work starts drying up, other celebrities become more popular, and suddenly the comedown from the drug is more prominent than the high.

“It’s a huge, huge problem and we need to stamp it out now and make celebrities realise this shouldn’t be a normal thing.”