July 29, 2010 13:37

Ozzy Osbourne: 'I regret the harm 'The Osbournes' caused my family'

Plus singer sets the record straight on Iron Maiden feud

Photo Gallery: Ozzy Osbourne
Photo: PA Photos

Ozzy Osbourne says that he regrets the impact The Osbournes TV show had on his family – and said he would not repeat the experience.

While acknowledging the MTV reality show revitalised his global fame, he admitted to TheQuietus.com that it did have an adverse effect on his loved ones.

"You go to bed one day and you wake up [the next day] and the world's completely different. Everywhere there's fucking cameras, you get attacked by the fucking things," he said of the show which ran from 2002 until 2005.

"The kids couldn't handle it, my wife couldn't handle it: she had colon cancer," he explained. "On the one hand it was phenomenal, on the other hand I had to watch my family [suffer]. But we invented a new form of television. We started the ball rolling for all these fucking new shows now. Would we do it again? I dunno. I don't think so."

Osbourne also spoke about the 2005 feud that erupted on Ozzfest between Iron Maiden and his wife Sharon, which saw her pelt the band with eggs in San Bernardino.

"You know what? Unbeknown to me, every night he [Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson] was going onstage slagging me off. And that wasn't fair," said Osbourne.

"I'd never said a fuckin' bad thing to him. The bass player [Steve Harris] came round at the last gig and said, 'I'm sorry about Bruce' and I'm like, 'What the fuck are you talking about?'… Sharon got pissed off… it was nothing to do with me. I suppose Sharon got pissed off. I'll back my wife up to the hilt, but I didn't know what was going down."

He added he didn't blame the band, but suggested that Dickinson "needs a fucking psychiatrist if he does that, he's fucking nuts. It's an irresponsible fucking thing to do".