Boy George 'feared mum's reaction to arrest'

Boy George has admitted that upsetting his mum was his main concern following his arrest for cocaine possession in 2005.

Thirteen bags of the drug were discovered under a bed at the singer's New York apartment after he called police to report a possible burglary.

He was given a £575 fine and five days of community service for wasting police time, with the drug charges dropped as part of a plea bargain.

He said: "When that story came out I wanted to hide under a rock. I was mortified. I was so disappointed in myself.

"But my first thought was, 'My poor mother! She's going to go crazy'. As it happens she was great about it."

The star - real name George O'Dowd - is due to stand trial on February 25 over claims that he falsely imprisoned a male escort at his East London home last April.