Matthew Perry 'superglued his hands to his knees' to stop taking drugs, says ex

23 December 2023 , 23:13

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Matthew Perry 'superglued his hands to his knees' to stop taking drugs, says ex

Matthew Perry's ex-girlfriend claims he once tried to stop himself taking drugs by superglueing his hands to his knees.

Kayti Edwards, 47, was in a relationship with the Friends star in 2006, and went on to become his personal assistant when he was at the height of his decades-long addiction battle in 2011.

Sadly for Matthew's loved ones and his fans, the Chandler Bing actor was found dead at home on October 28. The 54-year-old actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing on 90s sitcom Friends, was found dead a home in a hot tub, with results from his autopsy, released last Friday, concluding accidental death caused by the "acute effects" of ketamine, a hospital-grade anaesthetic which he had been prescribed as part of an "infusion therapy" to tackle depression.

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Matthew Perry was found dead at home on October 28

The medical examiner's report revealed: "Contributing factors in Mr. Perry’s death include drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder). At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression."

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The sad revelation that his death was drugs related hasn't surprised Kayti, who saw first hand how Perry's life was plagued by addiction - and some of the extreme lengths he went to in a bid to combat his demons. She told The Sun US : “I was at Matthew’s place in the Hollywood Hills. He was in a bad way. He had been getting high all night on a plethora of drugs, most likely crack cocaine and other substances.

“I found Matthew on the couch with his hands superglued to his legs — it was desperately sad. I had to use nail polish remover and olive oil to free him. We were literally ripping the hair from his legs and he had red, raw patches left behind, it was pretty horrific."

Kayti Edwards dated Matthew in 2006 and later became his assistant

According to the L.A. County Medical Examiner's report, Matthew's ketamine levels at his time of death were 3,540 ng/ml, enough to knock him unconscious for an operation. When used to put people under ahead of surgery, patients are in the 1,000 - 6,000 range.

The Medical Examiner's report also revealed that Perry had been prescribed ketamine as part of an infusion therapy treatment for depression and anxiety, and was taking it every other day. However, six months ago, a new doctor tried to wean him off the chemical, which can cause feelings of euphoria and disassociation when taken in small amounts. The last time he was prescribed a dose of the drug was reportedly a week and a half before his death.

It has been suggested Matthew might have taken the ketamine before getting in the hot tub, become disorientated or passed out and drowned. Large doses of ketamine can cause people to hallucinate or slip into unconsciousness.

Matthew was very open about how he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life. He was once addicted to Vicodin and in 1997 he completed a 28-day detox programme. He again entered rehab in February 2001 for addiction to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol, with him having a total of 15 rehab stints, according to his 2022 memoir.

And last year in a chat with Diane Sawyer, Matt spoke of his "55 Vicodin a day" habit where he said: "I should have been the toast of the town, but I was in a dark room meeting with nothing but drug dealers and completely alone."

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Emma Gritt