Birth name Peter Doherty

Date of birth 12 March 1979

Star sign Pisces

Birthplace Hexham, Northumberland, UK

Height 6ft 2in

Eye colour Brown

Marriages None

Children Astile Moorish, born 2003 (son of Lisa Moorish)

Biography

Bad-boy rocker Pete Doherty has gained notoriety for his well-publicised drug abuse and his stormy relationship with supermodel Kate Moss.

Born in Hexham, Northumberland, Pete grew up in various army garrisons due to his father’s work as a British Army officer but achieved top GCSE and A level grades and excelled at poetry.

He dropped out of an English literature degree at the University of London, however, and after moving in with friend Carl Barat, the pair formed indie band The Libertines in the late 1990s. Their 2002 debut album, Up The Bracket, brought them widespread success and a cult following, but Pete’s drug taking increased and he was jailed for burgling Carl’s flat in 2003. Despite rejoining the band and seeking help for his addiction, his problems resurfaced and the band broke up a year later.

He quickly formed a new group, Babyshambles, but despite releasing two studio albums, tour dates and new material have often been affected by Pete’s ongoing run-ins with the law. As well as performing several underground solo gigs, he has branched out into writing and published The Books Of Albion: The Collected Writings Of Peter Doherty – a selection of poems, photographs and drawings – in 2007.

But his drug abuse has made more headlines than his music. He has admitted addictions to crack cocaine and heroin, and his high profile, on-off relationship with Kate Moss – who was pictured appearing to snort cocaine at a Babyshambles recording session in 2005 – failed to help him break the habit. After numerous court appearances and failed rehab attempts, Pete began a 14-week sentence at Wormwood Scrubs prison in April 2008 for breaching a probation order – but reports claim he continued to take heroin while in jail.

Despite his misdemeanours, Pete – who has a son, Astile, with singer Lisa Moorish – was named Hero of the Year at the 2008 NME Awards.

Quotes

‘My mum would probably want me to be, I don’t know, on a desert island wrapped up in cotton wool. She says she blames the parents.’ (The Guardian, 4 November 2005)

‘I know where the self-destruct button is. I just have to resist the temptation to push it.’ (Newsnight, BBC2, 21 December 2004)

(On Kate Moss)
‘She says she doesn’t know why I love her, I don’t know why she loves me, but that’s just the way it is.’ (The Guardian, 4 November 2005)

‘It’s funny, but I always feel really safe on the streets of London. It’s the most inspiring place to be in the world.’ (Time Out, 21 August 2006)

‘I do a gig when I feel shit because I need to be playing. There’s no drug in the world that can compare with playing music.’ (The Guardian, July