Pete Doherty has managed to keep a pretty low profile lately, at least in the U.S. Last we heard from him, he was out of rehab and battling a newfound pie addiction. Which frankly, I understand more than a drug addiction. Pies taste awesome. The only thing more addicting would be cake. But now Pete’s moved on to a new addiction – one that may cancel out the aforementioned pie addiction. It seems good ‘ol Petey is addiction to running. You heard me right. Supposedly he’s training for the Flora London Marathon, and is so committed to the cause that he even went to the gym when he was in Paris for a concert recently. But to all addictions there is a downside, and this one is bloody awful.

The troubled Babyshambles rocker, who is in training for this year’s Flora London Marathon, complains his T-shirts are chafing his chest and has been borrowing 19-year-old model Portia Freeman’s padded underwear to ease the pain.

A source said: “He’s doing so well. He’s really serious about kicking drugs and this is really testing his will power and giving him a goal.

“All that is putting him off are his amazingly sore nipples, but Portia’s underwear is really helping.”

[From All Headline News]

Something tells me this is likely more the joke of one of Pete’s friends than truth. But on the other hand it is Pete Doherty, and if anyone would find it perfectly normal to wear his girlfriend’s padded bras in an attempt to protect his own chafing nipples, it would be Pete Doherty. Pete, may I suggest Nip Guards? They’re padded sticky male pasties that stick to your nipples to prevent chafing and bleeding when running. They’re weird, but definitely more dignified than wearing your girlfriend’s bra.

In other Doherty news, Pete’s been working on a new solo album, but has quashed rumors that his band Babyshambles is breaking up.

“It doesn’t conflict with Babyshambles at all. It’s just a continuation of what I do. I’ve always done solo recording but instead of just knocking it out on the internet like I used to, I’m getting a little album together.”

[From Ireland Online]

While it’s good they’re not breaking up, something tells me that given Doherty’s history of crazy antics like throwing a vial of his own blood on people and getting a kitten high – his bandmates may be a little wary of the bra wearing. Just a thought.

Picture note by Jaybird: Pete Doherty leaving Amy Winehouse’s flat in east London on December 4th. A truly frightening thought indeed. Images thanks to Splash Photos.