An inquest into the death of Peaches Geldof has heard she was a heroin addict who had been taking the substitute drug methadone in the two-and-a-half years before her death.
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The inquest began on Wednesday and has been held to shed light on whether Geldof's death was an accident.
The 25-year-old celebrity was found at her home by her husband, Thomas Cohen, on April 7 this year. A prelimary inquest into her death ruled that heroin use was a factor.
''Recent use of heroin and the levels identified were likely to have played a role in her death,'' police detective Paul Fotheringham told the opening of the preliminary inquest in May, which lasted just 10 minutes.
Following her death there were reports that Geldof had become increasingly obsessed with the death of her mother, Paula Yates, who died from a heroin overdose in 2000.
Cohen told the hearing that Geldof had started using heroin again in February and he had seen her flushing down the toilet drugs she had hidden in the loft of their home.
The full inquest is being held at Gravesand Old Town Hall in Kent.
While no drug paraphernalia was found at Geldof's home in Kent, there was speculation someone may have searched the home and removed evidence before police arrived.
In a statement after his wife's death, Cohen said: "My beloved wife Peaches was adored by myself and her two sons Astala and Phaedra and I shall bring them up with their mother in their hearts every day."
with AAP
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