Osbourne In Verbal Attack On Reporter

Osbourne, Black Sabbath star Ozzy and their children Kelly, 24, and Jack, 23, are returning to U.S. TV screens following their wildly popular reality series The Osbournes to front the upcoming Osbournes Reloaded.

But their small screen comeback was dealt a blow after Osbourne flew into a rage during a telephone conference call on Thursday (26Mar09).

A journalist asked Osbourne if she believed it was appropriate for her clan, which has struggled to overcome substance abuse problems, to host a family variety programme, which prompted the rock matriarch to defend her loved ones in an angry rant.

She responded, "That must be the most ridiculous question I have ever been asked in my entire career. I'm really angry. Do you know how many people in this country alone suffer from addiction? This is a terrible epidemic that covers every race. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, black or white. It's an epidemic of drugs and alcohol in this country. Okay? And all my family are examples of being truthful about their condition and working through it and trying to better themselves as human beings.

"You know that we have been so open about our lives. My husband has struggled with addiction his entire life. And my son has been clean and sober for six years and lives a very, very strict AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) lifestyle. And, so if anything he is a beacon of hope to any young person in this country who is struggling with addiction.

"So when you talk about family, we are family and we are a real family. I've taken real offence, because you know why? We're real people. And probably half of the people watching our show, they have someone in their family who has a problem with alcohol and drugs."

Kelly recently completed a second stint of rehab to treat an addiction to painkillers, while Jack and rocker Ozzy have also battled drug and drink demons.