Beverly Johnson’s Diet Once Consisted of Cocaine, Champagne & Coffee: The skinnier you were, the more fabulous you were.

Beverly says that drugs helped her stay thin:

The skinner you were, the more fabulous you were. Drug use was encouraged. It was like ‘Oh my god, you are chiseled to the bone.’ All of the things you needed to be a high class model: high cheekbones, bright eyes, that was all provided by the drugs. It was like being offered a drink. It was one of the perks. People around us always had it. We thought it was glamorous and expensive, but it was all a delusion.

She recalls a near-death experience — in 1983 — when her then boyfriend saved her life, while she suffered a near overdose.

It felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest. You think you just want to lie down but that’s when you die. My boyfriend threw me in the cold shower, shoes and all, and made me drink a whole carton of milk and I stabilized. I’m lucky to be alive.

Click here to cop Beverly’s memoir. [People]

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