How George Gave Up The Weed

This revelation may come as a surprise to those who thought it may have been because – under the influence of the drug – he once crashed a car and even fell asleep at traffic lights.

No. Talking to the UK tabloid, long-term friend and producer David Austin explained that it was down to the West Country accent.

He told how Michael has not smoked dope for over a year and a half now.

“It has completely changed his life,” he said.

Austin told how the 50-year-old pop star often joked: “There’s nothing wrong with the West Country accent. It’s just weird when you’re from north London.”

Michael was at least trying to cut down on the weed as long ago as 2009. He said in one interview that he only smoked “seven or eight” cannabis joints a day, instead of the 25 he used to get through.

However, in 2011, Michael was taken ill with pneumonia as his European tour reached Austria.

It was later reported that he had gone into a coma and nearly died during his month-long battle with the illness.

Austin spoke to the Mirror at the launch of Symphonica, the new George Michael album that he helped to produce.