George Michael’s Ex Speaks Out: ‘I Would Flush His Hard Drugs Down the Toilet’
George Michael’s partner of 20 years, Kenny Gross, revealed that he had to flush the singer’s hard drugs down the toilet to try and end his habit. At that time, George’s intake was crack cocaine, ecstasy and 25 joints a day.
When they first met, however, George only smoked a small amount of dope: “That was a gateway drug to the others. But it escalated. At one point he was smoking 25 joints a day. I saw him smoke weed all the time but never hardcore drugs. I heavily disapproved so he wouldn’t be around me in that state. He shielded me and his family. He had another group of friends he’d do that with.”
Together, they founded the Gross-Michael Foundation. “I would find drugs and flush everything down the toilet, thinking, ‘If I just get rid of it he won’t get more’. He was absent-minded, so would just think he’d lost them.”
Kenny spoke exclusively to Page Six in an effort to raise awareness for their organization.
The two dated from 1996 to 2011, and Kenny supported George until his death. He learned that he died while eating dinner with his family in Texas. “I picked up the phone and said, ‘Wow.’ I was in shock. I turned on the TV and it was on CNN. It was upsetting and surreal.”
While George’s problem was with drugs, Kenny’s was with alcohol: “When I confronted him, he never denied it, never apologized. He was hard on me about drinking, because I developed a problem… Of course I wish we’d never split up. But things would have had to change or we would both be dead. I wish we’d both been able to clean up. I started to have a drink problem at about 50. I couldn’t sleep, I drank to sleep, that’s when it all started. It fell apart.”
He continued: “George would text saying he wished we were together still — like in the beginning. Our psychiatrist encouraged us to stay together even though it was a dysfunctional relationship. I asked him if I should leave George and he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I think you are the only reason George stays alive.’”
On his weight gain: “When we met he didn’t exercise. But he’d do anything to lose weight, he’d go on SlimFast milkshakes. In his 40s he lived life a little bit heavier, but in the past five years he started gaining all this other weight. I don’t know why, maybe drugs, medicine or booze. He’d have the occasional wine when we were together but I’ve been told he started to drink a lot.”
Even though Michael could go months without contacting his closest friends and family, Kenny still sent messages. “He sometimes suffered depression. I’d send messages reminding him he was loved. I’d say, ‘You’re a beautiful man. Remember the man you were when I met you, people love you.’ He didn’t like to be around people in general but in the last couple of years he rarely saw anyone. I’ve cried thinking, ‘Why didn’t you take better care of yourself?’ Maybe if he had he’d still be with us.”
H/T: Page Six