George Michael says he has been treated with “kindness” during his time in jail by both inmates and prison staff.

The singer - who is serving an eight-week sentence for driving under the influence of drugs and possession of cannabis - has denied various reports claiming he has received special treatment or has been struggling with life behind bars, insisting he has been coping as well as he can.

“Much as I would prefer to rise above the usual rubbish that I’m reading day after day about my time here in prison, I think it’s only fair to my fans, family and friends to respond in some way, even though I will be home soon. So please believe me when I tell you that in the last three weeks there have been no tears, no anxiety, no bullying, in fact not so much as a sleepless night for me. On the contrary, I have been treated with kindness by fellow in-mates and prison staff alike and as far as I can tell, have received no special treatment of any kind whatsoever. Unless of course some of the guys here are letting me win at the pool table. Most of my days have been spent reading thousands of letters and postcards of incredible support from people around the world. I promise to repay their kindness with new music as soon as I possibly can,” he said in a statement.

George, 47, was given the sentence in September after he crashed his Range Rover into a shop window in July. He was found slumped behind the wheel by two police officers. Half of the pop superstar’s sentence will be served in custody, with the other half spent under the supervision of the probation service. He has also been handed fines and a five-year driving ban alongside his prison term.