Eric Clapton didn't have sober sex until he was 30.

The "Tears in Heaven" singer - who started experimenting with drink and drugs when he was 15 - didn't make love without being high until he kicked his habits.

Clapton, who has been clean since 1982, said, "When I came home from rehab the first time, I couldn't even perform with my wife. It never occurred to me that I had never had sex without being drunk or stoned. I'd get drunk first and then have to be kind of guided through it."

In the interview on ITV's "The South Bank Show", the guitarist admitted he finally quit all substances after touring Australia in the early 80s.

He said, "I had dark, dark suicidal thoughts while I was on that tour, and that's what made me realize I needed to get out of that vicious cycle."

Clapton now helps alcoholics and drug addicts with his Crossroads Centre - a rehabilitation centre he set up and funds in the Caribbean.

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