Alex James has set the record straight on claims he had splashed out £1million on drugs and champagne.
The Blur bassist once made the admission during his heyday with the band – but has now said the statement was made to sell his book, Bit Of A Blur in 2007.
In a new interview, the 54-year-old recalled being asked about spending the lump sum by his five children.
He laughed: “They ask me about that time and I say, ‘Well, f*****g read the book’.
“I actually made that up to help sell the book and everybody believed it.
“It might actually be true, it probably is by now – the champagne bit anyway.”
He added to OK! Magazine: “But now it turns out it was just research for Britpop wine, so money well spent!”
Alex previously discussed how giving up his boozy lifestyle in 2002 led to him meeting the love of his life, Claire Neates.
The couple, who have five children together, tied the knot after crossing paths six months into his sobriety.
Although he was finally in a happy place at the time, the bassist said it came at a cost.
He told The Times: “Nobody f***ing called me anymore.
“I stopped drinking for a year and met Claire halfway through and most people had stopped calling me by then.”
Alex went on to claim that pals “couldn’t handle” him turning over a new leaf and his new relationship.
“It’s like there was a sense of betrayal. Damien [Hirst] was never the same after I got married. It’s a shame, I miss him.”
The pair were bandmates in the group Fat Les from 1998 to 2002 alongside Keith Allen.
Although he has a seemingly much calmer life these days on his farm, the star states his time with Blur, formed back in 1988, will be forever.
In his latest interview, he added: “Blur is something that none of us can walk away from, we’ve realised that. It’s going to say ‘Blur’ on all our tombstones.”
And Alex hopes ‘Cheese’ will be on there too, after the rocker became a cheesemaker and bought a 200-acre farm back in 2004.
The bassist has since gone on to create his own event, ‘The Big Feastival’, which runs from 25-27 August.
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