Elton John celebrates 29 years of sobriety 'I was a broken man'

30 July 2019, 11:14 | Updated: 30 July 2019, 11:37

Sir Elton John has opened up to his fans once again about addiction in a special post online.

The 72-year-old has spoken openly in about his struggles with alcohol and drugs in the past, with the biopic Rocketman touching on the subject this year.

Elton told his 785,000 Twitter followers that he was celebrating 29 years of sobriety.

He said: "29 years ago today, I was a broken man.

"I finally summoned up the courage to say three words that would change my life: 'I need help'.

"Thank you to all the selfless people who have helped me on my journey through sobriety.

"I am eternally grateful. Elton xo."

The multiple Grammy-winning star first went clean in 1990, with the singer posting a photo of a special badge to celebrate the achievement.

Elton's post showed the 29 year bronze Alcoholics Anonymous anniversary medallion.

The anniversary year XXIX is in the centre of the AA triangle and has "To thine own self be true' and 'Unity, 'Service', 'Recovery' inscribed on the front.

On the reverse side is the Serenity Prayer, which reads: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

When Elton's film was released depicting his past, the singer admitted it was "difficult" to watch.

Listen to Elton John's new song for The Lion King 2019

He told the Daily Telegraph: "This is how my life was, and I didn’t want to cover it and gloss it over.

"And it’s difficult to watch because I thought, ‘God, I don’t want to go back there. Thank God I came out of it’."

"Success was fantastic, and then I couldn’t cope with it. And you can’t leave out the bad."