Elton John has insisted his "diva" reputation is entirely down to his past cocaine habit, which led to "bad behaviour and irrationality".
The Tiny Dancer singer said it was the "worst decision" of his life to try cocaine in 1974, and had a well-publicised battle with drug and alcohol addiction before finally getting sober in the '90s.
Speaking on the Awards Chatter podcast, Elton admitted he had no idea what he was getting into when he tried the drug for the first time: "I saw someone doing cocaine and didn't know what it was. They said it makes you feel good. So I thought 'I will have a go...'.
"Worst decision of my life. I shouted at people. I wasn't proud of that behaviour because it is not really who I am."
The 72-year-old went on to reflect his drug habit worsened his reputation within the music industry, explaining: "It led a lot of people to say I've always been a diva. I am not. Now I don't take drugs."
The Rocket Man hitmaker previously confessed he was terrified to return to the stage sober, but he'd agreed to do one charity gig at Grosvenor House in London that he didn't want to pull out of - and the event helped him regain his confidence.
"When the day arrived, I was terrified, but I did manage to get through the performance... That show gave me confidence to know that I could still perform sober," he told Variety.
