Friend says Peaches Geldof struggled to stay off drugs

Los Angeles - Peaches Geldof "struggled" to stay off drugs, a friend has claimed.

Jonny Makeup has paid an emotional tribute to his "courageous" late pal - who was found dead at the home she shared with husband Thomas Cohen and their sons Astala, 23 months, and Phaedra, 11 months, on Monday - but also admitted she was battling some problems.

Jonny - whose real name is Jon Henry Szymanski - told The Sun newspaper: "Losing a friend - forever - is one of the worst things that can happen.

"Being a recovering addict myself, I know she struggled to be and stay clean - like all of us with addictions do. I don't know if this had anything to do with her death. But I just hope she was at peace.

"My life changed when I met Peaches. I've always thought of myself as courageous and spontaneous but in Peaches I found the most fearless and uninhibited person I have ever met. She is also the smartest person I ever met, sometimes too smart!

"I can say with the most certainty that her everlasting love for the underdogs and outcasts of the world is what bonded us so close."

On Wednesday it was announced a post-mortem examination on the 25-year-old star's body was "inconclusive" and it could take weeks for toxicology results to help establish the cause of death. Police are still searching Peaches' home for evidence, but no drugs or suicide note have been found and her death is not being treated as suspicious.

Meanwhile, a previous unpublished interview with the blonde star has revealed doctors warned her she needed to overhaul her diet as she was at risk of health problems.

Speaking in 2011, Peaches said: "I had cholesterol and the doctors said stop eating shit. So I did. If you stop eating pizza and chips you then don't look like you used to.

"I used to eat shit every single day. I used to wake up with my boyfriend and eat crap. I had the heart of a 90-year-old gangster."