Debbie Harry took drugs to avoid an "emotional rollercoaster" during her younger years

She explained to Vanity Fair magazine: "Chris was overcoming something and we didn't know what it was.

"We needed to do some drugs to stabilise ourselves from some kind of emotional rollercoaster.

"Had we gone to a shrink, we probably would have been severely medicated."

Chris went on to be diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris - a rare autoimmune disease of the skin - in 1983.

However, Debbie admitted drugs were "everywhere" in her social circles in the 80s.

She said: "But that also was a sign of the times, because drugs were everywhere.

"In my social circle, people would come over and just do drugs together."

But the Heart of Glass singer doesn't "regret" her experiences with drugs.

She said: "I think a lot of it was going around, but I never got the impression that people were nodding out, snivelling old junkies.

"It was a different atmosphere. Now, I feel it was a waste of time, but I don't regret having had the experiences.

"I can't go around regretting everything in my life; that would be such a waste."

Last year, Debbie told how her parents would've been "happy" with the way things turned out for her, because they just considered her a "drug addict" at one stage.

The One Way Or Another hitmaker told The Sunday Times newspaper: "[My parents] were proud I achieved something because they just thought I was a drug addict.

"It turns out that I was a drug addict, but I also made music so it was OK. I think they'd be happy with the way my life turned out."