Booze and boyfriends brought Florence Welch to the verge of a summer breakdown

Florence + The Machine star Florence Welch suffered a "kind of breakdown" last year (15) after a drinking binge and a series of romance ups and downs left her drained and exhausted.

The 28 year old tells Billboard magazine a planned summer rest turned into a nightmare when she was suddenly faced with all the things that were wrong with her life, and she returned to the studio "a bit of a mess".

Welch tells the publication, "I had just wore myself out... Without the structure of touring, you have to face your own chaos. I was playing gigs non-stop since I was 21. When I was left to my own devices, I realized I was f**king everything up.

"I was in and out of a relationship, in and out of drinking too much. It was like constantly picking yourself up and then dropping yourself, picking yourself up and dropping yourself. And that was exhausting."

The shy Dog Days Are Over singer reveals she used to drink before every performance to give herself the courage to hit the stage, but she has found new confidence in her music and insists she no longer needs to hit the bottle backstage, adding, "When I finally took time off to make this new record, I had time to strengthen. And when I was coming back into the fray, I really didn't want to lose that."

Welch also reveals her band's new album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, features more personal songs, thanks to a chat she had with pal Taylor Swift: "Taylor said that you must sing about what's happening in your life. It's about being honest."

And it appears Swift is just as big a fan of the Brit, telling Billboard, "She’s the most fun person to dance with at a party, but then five minutes later you find yourself sitting on the stairs with her having an indepth conversation about love and heartbreak.

"Every time I've been around her, she is the most magnetic person in the room, surrounded by people who are fascinated by the idea of being near her. But when she meets people, she pays them a warm compliment and immediately disarms them. There are very few people I’ve met in my life who are truly electric, and Florence is one of them.”