George Michael has denied claims he has checked into rehab to fight a cannabis addiction.

German magazine Bild reported that the 51-year-old Careless Whisper singer had checked himself into the Kusnacht Practice in Zollikon, Switzerland, after pictures emerged of him enjoying a drink with a friend in the country.

But a spokesman for the former Wham! star told the Metro: “George has not just entered rehab but is spending time in Europe. He is well and enjoying an extended break, as recent newspaper photographs illustrate.”

George Michael left a dent in the side of this North London photographic shop after crashing his car in 2010
George Michael left a dent in the side of this North London photographic shop after crashing his car in 2010 (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

George was jailed for eight weeks in 2010 after crashing his car into a London shop while under the influence of marijuana.

In an interview in March last year he said he had not smoked cannabis for, “well over a year-and-a-half”.