Fergie Talks Past Drug Use & Finding A ‘Thicker Skin’

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Fergie,Celebrities,Josh Duhamel,Music

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Fergie shows off her toned tummy as the Black Eyed Peas perform at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco on August 29, 2009
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Fergie steps out on August 11, 2009 in Los Angeles, California
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Fergie looks fierce in black at V Australia’s ‘Nomad Two Worlds’ art preview event in Melbourne, Australia on October 8, 2009
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Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas steps out at the Blackberry VIPeas Party at Rod Laver Arena on October 7, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia
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Fergie arrives at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards held at Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California on August 9, 2009
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A shimmering Fergie arrives for the Apl.de.Ap Launch of Jeepney Music Record Label at Ecco Club on August 11, 2009 in Hollywood, California

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FIRST PUBLISHED: October 12, 2009 3:39 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: October 12, 2009 4:09 PM EDT

LONDON, England, U.K. --

Fergie may be glam and ferocious these days as the First Lady of the Black Eyed Peas, but she has no interest in hiding her past, which includes drug use.

“Sometimes publicists get really mad with me for talking about stuff like that — but I don’t care,” the singer and actress told Britain’s Times newspaper.

“For me, it’s something I went through,” she continued. “It’s an epidemic, and it’s important to talk about it because it’s a very, very hard thing to stop.”

The star, who will hit theaters later this fall alongside Penelope Cruz in “Nine,” opened up about her drug use in the Sunday edition of the newspaper.

“It started with ecstasy. I loved ecstasy. Loved it, loved it. It was great at first, then it just went…” she added making a downward motion with her hand.

And the star, who previously admitted to having a crystal meth problem, said that drug was a hugely detrimental force.

“It ruins you,” she told the paper.

Fergie blames some of her past troubles on having been a child star (she starred on “Kid’s Incorporated” as a youngster).

“Definitely. What happens when you’re a child professional is that you have to be, well, professional. You’re taught not to have tantrums, to always people-please,” she said. “That’s part of how I got into [drugs] later.”

These days though, life is good. She has the band, the movie and a very handsome man, Josh Duhamel, whom she married earlier this year.

But she still has some trouble in the form of the tabloid press.

“I’m trying to get a thicker skin,” she said. “I like to be aware of people’s perceptions of me, but when you put it as a priority, as a means to judging your worth, that’s when it can be dangerous.

“There’s no rule book on how to do this,” she added.

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