Libertines announce new album as we look at what happened to Pete Doherty and what does he do now?

Everyone's favourite UK band from early 2000s are back on the scene with their new single 'Run Run Run.' The Libertines have announced their return which is set to be followed up with their long-awaited fourth album 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade'.

The band has been active in the industry for nearly 30 years but their time together has been less than plain sailing - mainly due to issues related to frontman Pete Doherty.

Their biggest breakthrough came in 2004 with their self-titled album 'The Libertines' - whiuch debuted at No. 1 in the UK albums chart.

And it's not just new music that has been announced. The band have also announced a series of intimate shows in Margate this December.

As the band returns to the spotlight, we look back at the life of Pete Doherty and why fans have had to wait so long for new music from the band.

What happened to Pete Doherty?

Doherty, who is now 44 - has long had well-documented issues with substance abuse. Crack cocaine and heroin are two drugs he has suffered addiction to and this has often been the source of rifts within the band.

He was also known as a close friend of Amy Winehouse and was even fiance to Kate Moss at the height of his popularity in 2005 but they split in 2007 after a series of rows and Pete being unable to complete a stint in rehab.

His addiction issues also affected the band. After their 2002 album put them in the limelight, Pate flew to Thailand to attend a detox centre but he left after three days which led to cancelled scheduled performances.

Perhaps the strangest issue surrounding Doherty occurred in 2003 when he was jailed for burgling his bandmate Carl Barât's flat. The pair fell out over the incident but made up while Pete served two months behind bars. He was jailed again in 2008 for breaching probation after driving and drug offences and finally, he was also sentenced t six months behind bars in 2011 for cocaine possession.

Before this, In 2004, after the release of their second album, he was asked to leave the band due to drug issues. They insisted they would reform once he had addressed his addiction and the band did so in 2010.

A Channel 4 documentary that aired last month looks at a specific issue related to Pete Doherty's past. Back in 2006, a man named Mark Blanco died in suspicious circumstances at a party with Doherty.

He is said to have fallen from a balcony of an east London flat that was known to be a 'crack den' to police.

What does Pete Doherty do now?

Speaking to the Guardian last year, Doherty said he finally kicked his heroin and crack cocaine habits in 2019. His bad boy lifestyle days seem to finally be behind him.

An article in the Daily Mail from September 2023 says that Pete left the UK for rural France near Normandy where he lives with his wife Katia de Vidas who is also his Puta Madres bandmate.

A new documentary about his life titled 'Stranger In My Own Skin', made by director-musician and Doherty’s wife, will hit cinemas on November 9.

Doherty has one child with de Vidas - born in June - and he is also a father to 19-year-old Astile and 11-year-old Aisling from his relationship with South African model Lindi Hingston.