Kelly Osbourne has revealed that she relapsed into drinking following the death of her father, Ozzy Osbourne, stating that grief sent her spiraling back into addiction. The TV star, who had been sober for over four years, described the months after losing the Black Sabbath legend last year as reaching "ground zero."
Osbourne, 41, shared on Paul C Brunson's "We Need To Talk" podcast that her father's death triggered a period where she was unable to care for herself. "I was a shell of myself. I couldn't speak. I couldn't eat. I couldn't do anything. I was just empty," she said. "Broken in every way a human being could possibly be broken and completely unable to even take care of myself. I was at ground zero. I started drinking again. I lost my mind. I couldn't handle it."
Osbourne, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction since her teenage years, announced that she has since regained her sobriety, stating, "I can honestly say today I'm eight months sober."
She explained that she has a strong support system around her and has narrowed her social circle, noting that some friends expected her to have moved past her grief. "I will never be over it. I will never ever be over it."
This is not the first time Osbourne has publicly discussed her struggles with addiction and recovery. In 2021, she revealed a relapse after nearly four years of sobriety, attributing it to a single glass of champagne that escalated into heavier drinking before she sought to get back on track.
Osbourne clarified that her past use of alcohol and drugs was not for recreational purposes but rather an attempt to escape difficult emotions. "I never did drugs because I wanted a party. I never drank because I wanted a party. I just didn't want to feel the pain," she said.
She linked this pain to her early fame on the MTV reality show "The Osbournes," which she felt led to insecurity, self-doubt, and a sense of unearned success. Osbourne has recently returned to the UK, where she spent part of her childhood, a move that has coincided with her decision to create some distance from her extended family.
While she stated that this has not caused a rift with her brother Jack, she acknowledged that other family members are "a little bit upset" by her decision to focus on herself. "I get it because I don't want to miss out on anything that my nieces are doing. But I also - I'm a mother and I have my own responsibilities and my own life to live and I'm taking this time to be a bit selfish."
Osbourne described her father's death as fundamentally altering her identity. "The girl that I was before my father passed is dead. That girl will never come back," she said. "I had to figure out everything from ground zero to now. I will never be the same again. I lost not just my father but my best friend, my main protector, my biggest cheerleader, my hero."
She also cited becoming a mother and her own mental health struggles as factors that led her to reassess her lifelong habit of prioritizing her family. "Since having my baby, losing my father and my mind, I'm finally back in a place where I'm like, okay, I'm ready to be the me that I truly am," Osbourne stated. "I do not think I am ugly. I do not think I am fat. I do not think I am worthless. I know my value. I think it's now my time to shine."
Reflecting on years where family dynamics dictated many of her choices, she concluded, "I don't want that anymore. I just want to do what I want to do."