TULISA has revealed the secret health battle that led to her fleeing Australia and the I’m A Celeb wrap party.
N-Dubz star Tulisa, 36, confessed she was left “hyperventilating and crying” from pressure she felt and emotional exhaustion after her elimination.
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The Young songstress jetted out of the country just days after being voted off the show, erasing all traces of her experience from her Instagram.
Addressing speculation about her abrupt exit, Tulisa later explained on Instagram that she had become “overwhelmed” by the experience.
In the first part of Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Tulisa candidly shared the mental health challenges she endured both during her time in the jungle and after leaving the show.
She admitted struggling to interact with the “happy campers” while privately battling anxiety and breaking down in tears alone in her hotel room.
Speaking ahead of the second part of the podcast, set for release on Monday, Tulisa revealed how close she came to quitting the programme.
She recounted a particularly intense anxiety attack, unseen by viewers, that left her in tears and gasping for air.
Tulisa said: “Some of the things you didn’t see – I had night terrors for the first four days.
“I was waking up out of my sleep, and I was having anxiety attacks.
“Those parts, not everyone knows, so it wasn’t completely smooth sailing for me at all, but I have a great poker face. I really can turn it on, especially when I’m faced with adversity.”
Determined not to show vulnerability, she added, “The last thing I wanted to do was go in there and be the hot mess. So if anything, I’m going to be the biggest soldier there is.
“As soon as I’m set with a task – jumping out of a plane, for example – I’m going to look like a warrior, because that’s what I do. I might sit and cry under the sleeping bag—that’s also a part of who I am.”
Recalling her breaking point, Tulisa said: “I definitely had an anxiety attack off-camera. I went to the smoking area to do it because I didn’t want them to know.
“I was trying to bring down my heart rate, literally through my nose. I kept telling myself, ‘Get the heart rate down. Get the heart rate down.’
“I wanted to leave that day. I thought, ‘I can’t do this,’ but I reminded myself that I was there to stick it out.”
The singer credited her campmates for creating joyful moments despite her internal battles.
However, after being the third contestant eliminated, Tulisa described feeling an “introvert overload” when she returned to reality.
Hyperventilating and crying, she found herself overwhelmed by the attention.
Tulisa reflected on the period spent with campmates and their families at the hotel post-elimination.
She said: “I was sat crying in my hotel room while everyone else were ‘happy campers,’ excited to be there. I just needed to go home and process everything.
“For others, it’s normal – they’re on the radio or television all the time. For me, it felt like a psychological experiment.”
After returning home, Tulisa revealed that she spent her first day in bed, switching off her phone and immersing herself in escapism by watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
She shared: “I just sat in bed for four days – a phone detox, a social media detox. My inner circle understood and told others, ‘She’s recharging.’”
The interview also shed light on her battle with prescription drug dependency during the pandemic.
Grieving her dog’s cancer diagnosis, Tulisa turned to sleeping pills to “numb the pain” but unknowingly became dependent.
She admitted: “I just went cold turkey for five days, and I ended up in hospital. I felt like I was having a heart attack, pains in my chest. I thought I was going to die.”
Looking back on her recovery, Tulisa said: “It took so long for my body to get back to normal and for my nervous system to recover. But now, I feel alive again. I’ve rediscovered myself as a person.”
Despite her struggles, Tulisa expressed gratitude for the channel’s support during her difficult moments, saying: “ITV were brilliant and supported me, knowing what I needed to do for myself.”
The songwriter had largely kept out of the spotlight since her time as an X Factor judge in 2011, when she was just 23.
Though she recently took to stages for a wildly successful N-Dubz tour, she was hesitant to return to the public arena.
She previously told The Guardian: “I had a lot of fear surrounding exposure and I got to the point where I thought, ‘Am I holding on to this fear because of what people have done to me in the past? Am I letting other people change my perception of what my career is and could be?’
I’m A Celebrity – All The Winners
Here’s every star who has been crowned King or Queen of the Jungle to date:
- 2024: Danny Jones, McFly star
- 2023: Sam Thompson, Made in Chelsea star
- 2022: Jill Scott, England footballer
- 2021: Danny Miller, Emmerdale star
- 2020: Giovanna Fletcher, actress and podcaster
- 2019: Jacqueline Jossa, EastEnders star
- 2018: Harry Redknapp, England legend
- 2017: Georgia Toffolo, Made In Chelsea star
- 2016: Scarlett Moffatt, Gogglebox star
- 2015: Vicky Pattison, Geordie Shore star
- 2014: Carl Fogarty, famed racer
- 2013: Kian Egan, Westlife star
- 2012: Charlie Brooks, EastEnders actor
- 2011: Dougie Poynter, McFly star
- 2010: Stacey Solomon, X Factor star now TV personality
- 2009: Gino D’ACampo, TV Chef
- 2008: Joe Swash, TV personality
- 2007: Christopher Biggins, actor
- 2006: Matt Willis, Busted star
- 2005: Carol Thatcher, author and broadcaster
- 2004 (second series): Joe Pasquale, comedian
- 2004: Kerry Katona, Atomic Kitten star and reality star
- 2003: Phil Tufnell, England Cricketer
- 2002: Tony Blackburn, Radio DJ
There was also an All Star series in South Africa in 2023, which was won by Myleene Klass.
“I didn’t want to feel that way any more.”
Tulisa, who was the third celeb to be evicted from the jungle, did say a virtual goodbye to her campmates during the Coming Out show.
Proving there were no hard feelings towards her co-stars, she made a surprise appearance via a pre-recorded message.
She said in the clip: “Hello everybody, I am so proud of you all, you all absolutely smashed it.
“Go and eat into oblivion!
“I am sorry I can’t be there, I love you lots and see you soon!”
The campmates cooed over her words before the camera cut back to Tulisa speaking in her hotel room.
She said: “The best thing about camp was the people and having a giggle got me through the hard moments.”
The singer previously addressed reports of an alleged fall-out with best pal Michelle McKenna, who was on hand to greet her when she left camp.
Michelle had been in control of Tulisa’s social media during her time on the show and an insider claimed she was unhappy with some of the content posted.
However, she spoke out in defence of her friend, insisting there was no issue between them, nor Michelle’s partner Dan.
She said: “Absolutely no issue with my sis’s posts, haven’t argued with my best mate in over 10 years.
“We literally don’t have arguments, they don’t exist in our world. Only love. Same with my bro.
“That’s what makes us so strong and my soul fam so special to me.
“Say what you want about me, but leave my Shelly and Dan alone please.”
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