Courtney Love is opening up about a health crisis she faced after moving to England in 2019, revealing that doctors told her she “was going to die.”
On Friday, Love took to Instagram to address questions about her long-awaited solo album. “A lot of you are asking where my record is at. It’s done. It’s kind of been done,” she said. “It’s a really good record. I put a lot into it.”
The former Hole frontwoman then revealed that she faced a frightening health battle after moving from Los Angeles to London seven years ago.
“When I went there, my body just exploded. It just exploded. And I was in hospitals a lot. I almost died,” Love said. “I lost all my hair. I was about 100 pounds. And they told me I was going to die. I didn’t believe them.”
Love explained that her refusal to believe the doctors was connected to a childhood experience.
“When I was a kid — I think this record is about this — I used to, like, pattern-interrupt the adults, and they’d tell me ‘red.’ They’d say ‘red was blue,’ and then I’d see blue, but blue was blue,” she said. “So now that I gaslight myself that maybe they were right and red was blue, and then I would see purple and my head would explode.”
She continued, “I never really lost my ability to see that fucking red was red, despite them telling me that red was blue. And so when they said I was going to die, I just didn’t believe them. And somehow I got better. I’m healthy.”
Love has faced other health scares over the years. In 2021, she revealed that she had nearly died from anemia. While in the hospital, she said she was “stigmatized for being an addict” by doctors.
As for her music, Love also reflected on the 2010 Hole album Nobody’s Daughter, which she described as a “flop,” as she figures out how to roll out her new project. “I will be back,” she said of her music career. “I just wasn’t public about being sick. I’m fine now.”
In the post’s caption, Love expressed her desire to return to the stage. “I want to tour more than anything. & I want to sing. That’s what keeps my soul & body happy,” she wrote.