As Boy George celebrates being sober for two years and the release of his new single, the eighties icon has opened up about his stint in prison and the support he received from fans.

"I got thousands and thousands of letters from people I don't know, I always say thank God for strangers," the singer said.

He added: "There were a lot of people who judged me, but there are a lot of people who don't, there are a lot of people who kind of just have a lot of love for me, and I think I'm so lucky."

The 48-year-old was jailed in December 2008 for assault and false imprisonment. He was released in May 2009 after serving four months of his15 month sentence.

It was a fall from grace for the singer who had a string of top ten hits in the eighties with Culture Club. He will be hoping to repeat some of that success with his new single, Amazing Grace, released on Monday 22 March.

He revealed the hardest part about being inside was being separated from his family: "You find yourself constantly having to reassure them that everything's ok because they don't know, I think that's the worst thing about it is that you're cut off."