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Lulu has shed light on her battle with alcoholism after becoming a “secret drinker” later in life.
The 76-year-old singer said in a recent interview that she had become increasingly dependent on wine after hitting the menopause, which came at a fraught time for her as she had lost her parents and her children had just left home.
Lulu, whose father was an alcoholic, described struggles with alcohol as a “family illness” and said “the gene is there”, although she said nobody noticed the degree to which wine had become part of her life.
She herself was only able to mentally accept the extent of her dependence in 2013, on her 65th birthday.
Speaking to The Times, she said of the ordeal: “I’ve never spoken about the alcohol before. ‘Lulu’ is sort of squeaky clean. It’s not that I’m a bad girl. I’m not. But I’m tough on myself. I think I always wanted to be Miss Perfect, the ‘best Lulu’, and I was terrified of being like my father.”
She went on to say that close friends who were in recovery from alcoholism themselves did not realise she was struggling, and said of that period: “For many years, and I can’t say how many, I had not been happy with the way I felt, not at all happy and [yet] unable to ask for help.”
She then entered rehab and has since launched Lulu’s Mental Health Trust, saying: “I probably have never been happier in my life, and at the same time, never been more in touch with my feelings.”
The singer was inspired to set up the fund when she was writing her memoir and celebrating the 60th anniversary of her hit single ‘Shout’.
It follows Lulu announcing her retirement from touring after 60 years in music in 2024, with her final tour culminating in a Glastonbury performance last summer.
For help and advice on mental health:
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008)
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789)
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
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