The Darkness front man Justin Hawkins has quit the band following a stint in drug rehabilitation. The catsuit-wearing star has been off illegal substances for nine weeks after checking into a London rehab clinic. He said it would be "damaging" to his recovery to stay in the group.

The 31-year-old – who’s band shot to fame with hit single I Believe In A Thing Called Love in 2002 – said that he had spent more than £150,000 on cocaine in the last three years.



"I hit absolute rock bottom," he said. "I spent over £150,000 on cocaine in three years - a frightening amount. I was consuming up to five grams a day which cost me £1,000 a week, sometimes more. "I regularly used to stay up for four days at a time on coke and alcohol binges."



The singer experienced blackouts and even used drugs during shows. "I would come off stage and do a line then go back on," he said.



Justin decided to leave The Darkness after entering rehab in August. "It would be damaging to my recovery to stay on," he said. "I'm not blaming the band for my problem - I am an addict. There are people who can be in bands and stay clean, but I'm not one of them."