Steve Coogan thought he was going to die after taking cocaine

In an extract from his new autobiography 'Easily Distracted' - which is being serialised in The Guardian newspaper - he wrote: "I could feel pins and needles in my left arm, and my heart was thundering. I thought I was having a heart attack.

"Patrick put me in a car and drove through red lights to get me to hospital. I cried all the way. I couldn't stop thinking, 'I'm going to die. This is it. My headstone will say: Stephen Coogan, born in Middleton in 1965, died in Edinburgh in 1992, aged 26 years.' What a waste!"

Steve, 49, says the drug helped him feel more confident and he didn't even need to buy it initially because it was constantly being passed around in his social circles.

He explained: "It was always around, always on offer. I didn't start to buy it until years later.

"In those early days it was all recreational and relatively controlled. I'd have a line or two and stop. I liked it because it gave me confidence. I always thought, 'I'm not really one of those people who does cocaine, so I'll be OK.' "

Despite overcoming his addiction, the comedian adds: "I don't take drugs or drink any more, but I am in no denial about my past: I will always be a recovering addict."