What doesn't kill Drew Barrymore makes her stronger

With a string of box-office hits and a successful production house, Drew Barrymore is one of the power players in Hollywood. Photo: Handout

It's hard to believe that anyone with her early history could have become one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars, but Drew Barrymore is proof positive that those who are meant to survive, will, against all odds.

When she was 16, she published her “autobiography” that revealed, among other things, that she had started drinking at nine, smoked marijuana at 10, abused cocaine at 11, and was institutionalised in a rehab centre after a suicide attempt at 12.