TORONTO — Canadian singer Avril Lavigne said this week she is proud of her ex-husband Deryck Whibley for going public about his battle with alcohol.
“He’s a good guy and I want him to be happy and healthy,” Lavigne told the Roz and Mocha Show on Toronto’s Kiss 92.5.
“He wanted to let his fans know to drink responsibly and to make healthy choices.”
Whibley, 34, posted a message on his blog last month revealing he had been hospitalized for organ failure caused by excessive drinking.
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“My liver and kidney’s collapsed on me,” explained the Sum 41 singer, who was married to Lavigne from 2006 to 2010. “Needless to say it scared me straight. I finally realized I can’t drink anymore.”
Whibley added: “The reason I got so sick is from all the hard boozing I’ve been doing over the years. It finally caught up to me. I was drinking hard every day.”
In an interview that aired Wednesday, Lavigne said Whibley and his mother came to see a recent show in Los Angeles.
“He’s doing well. I’m proud of him for taking this step,” said Lavigne. “Now he’s sober and I’m proud of him.
“I love Deryck very much. He’s family to me so it was really lovely to see him.”
Lavigne also addressed reports that fans who paid for a meet-and-greet in Brazil were instructed not to touch her.
The singer said in some countries, “where we’ve had security breaches,” her team enforces strict rules.
“Because of things that have happened with stuff I probably shouldn’t get into… sometimes when there’s a lot of people, (some) people ruin it for other people,” she said. “If there’s been a certain circumstance prior to a meet-and-greet or with somebody sneaking into a hotel or doing some shady stuff… they have to take extra precautions.”
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