Detroit rapper Eminem reckons he’s become “addicted to exercise” – a welcome change from the 36-year-old “We Made You” star’s former habits.

According to the rapper (real name Marshall Bruce Mathers), replacing past addictions of painkillers and alcohol helped him in the creation of his latest LP, Relapse – but he’s worried he might have a case of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), thanks to a newfound love of the treadmill.

“I’ve done a lot of cardio. I’m actually at the point where I think I’ve got a little obsessive compulsive about it,” the hip-hop star admits. “Like running on a treadmill – I started doing two miles a day. Then I did four. Then I got up to six, then 10, 15 until at 17 I had to take a break. I couldn’t stop.”

According to Eminem, so bad were his former addictions that at the height of his problems he considered suicide. “I just wasn’t taking care of myself, at times I wanted to just give it up,” he says. “I was in a dark place. I wanted to pull back from the spotlight to reassess my whole career. I got sober but it was pretty rough. A couple of years were bad for me.”