In the first of a two-part season premiere with with Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston opened up about her past drug abuse, as well as her “emotionally abusive” relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown.
Houston said she was first attracted to Brown because he took control of their relationship and had “a sweet, gentle tenderness.”
“At home, he was very much the father, he was very much the man,” Houston said. “He was very much in control. I liked that. When he said something, I listened. I was very interested in having someone have that kind of control over me. It was refreshing.”
Houston said Brown grew increasingly uncomfortable with his background role as her fame continued to soar. She described one episode after a birthday party for Brown that left her “horrified. He spit on me, in my face.” She said their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, witnessed the incident, which left Houston “very hurt, very angry.”
The 46-year-old singer said her drug use became “heavy” after her 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.” She described to Winfrey how she would take marijuana combined with rock cocaine.
“You put your marijuana, you lace it, you roll it up and you smoke it,” Houston said.
When asked if she ever grasped the thought that her voice was a “national treasure” deserving of respect and proper attention, Houston said: “I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted. I didn’t think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood.”
Houston said her addiction extended deeper than just the cocaine and marijuana. “He was my drug,” Houston told Winfrey of Brown. “I didn’t do anything without him. I wasn’t getting high by myself. It was me and him together. We were partners.”
Houston said she stuck with Brown because she took her marriage vows seriously. She said she told her daughter Bobbi Kristina about her drug use and took the child with her to an Atlanta drug rehab for mothers and children.
When the Atlanta facility didn’t work, her mother Cissy Houston stepped in – literally – arriving at her house with the police and an ultimatum – either get help or go to jail.
Information from Eurweb.com contributed to this report.