Boy George reveals his shame at keeping male escort prisoner - but says he was 'psychotic'

Boy George has spoken for the first time about imprisoning a male escort - saying he behaved “psychotically” and feels ashamed by what he did.

The Culture Club singer - real name George O’Dowd - was found guilty of attacking the Norwegian model Audun Carlsen, 29, after he visited the singer’s flat in London in April 2007.

He denied beating the man but said: “In hindsight I was having a psychotic episode. I was a drug addict so I can’t sit here and say my reasons for doing it were founded in any way.

“I stopped him from leaving my apartment. I did that. That is what I got done for. It was terrible what I did.

"I was absolutely ashamed and sorry what I did, but it has been very difficult to talk about as some parts of it are like: ‘That did not happen.’

“The fact is that I was not done for assault but what I done was wrong. It was wrong and I still pay the consequences for that now.

“I have really turned my life around. Nothing anyone says to me can compare to how horrible I felt during that period.”

The singer declined to give evidence at the time, and explains: “I chose not to give evidence. I just chose to accept what was happening and for me I felt that was the dignified thing to do.

“When I was in court I was already a year clean so I was already sober. So that person I was in court and the person who was arrested, they were two different people.

"So I kind of just took the view that: ‘That person over there was in trouble.’ And I was going to get through this no matter what.

“Plus, I did not want my mum to hear all that stuff in court. I thought: ‘She has been through enough.’

"I banned her from coming to the trial. I just thought: ‘You know what, I am just going to accept it. I will accept the consequences of what happened.’”

George served four months in prison in 2009, followed by a year on probation.

Speaking on ITV’s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Boy George also told of the depths of his drug addiction which could easily have killed him, the death of George Michael and said a cup of tea was more reliable than men.

The 55-year-old added: “I am single but open to offers. Do I want children? No. I am not responsible. I can barely look after a hat.”

• Piers Morgan Life Stories airs this Friday on ITV at 9pm.