I'm a Celebrity Tulisa's shares heartbreak over sex tape, health condition and drugs trial
The I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! lineup has officially been unveiled ahead of the new series, which is set to air on Sunday, November 17. The line-up includes Coleen Rooney of Wagatha Christie fame, retired professional boxer Barry McGuigan, McFly member Danny Jones, comedian and presenter Melvin Odoom, dancer Oti Mabuse, actor Alan Halsall, journalist Jane Moore, TikTok star GK Barry, DJ Dean Mcullough and singer-songwriter Tulisa.
Many will remember 36-year-old Tulisa Contostavlos as one of the members of R&B and hip-hop band N-Dubz alongside her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer, who first found fame in 2007. The band's most notable songs include Playing with Fire, I Swear and I Need You.
In 2011, Tulisa then became a judge of The X Factor, before launching her own debut solo album, The Female Boss. She reunited with her band last year for a tour before they released their fourth album titled Timeless. The singer-songwriter has also opened up about her personal life, specifically how a leaked sex tape during the height of her fame left her feeling "disgusting", her 12-year health battle and appearing in court charged with being concerned in an £800 cocaine deal. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
READ MORE: The ‘really powerful’ Samsung microwave that's now 40% off at Amazon in early Black Friday sale
The sex tape that still affects her 'to this day'
In 2012, during the height of her stardom, Tulisa's ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards released a sex tape. While speaking on former Love Island star Olivia Attwood's podcast So Wrong It's Right, the singer revealed that the leak felt like "virtual rape" and that she felt "judged, disgusting and ashamed".
"Honestly, there's no words to describe," she told Olivia. "It felt like virtual rape, that's the only way I can describe the emotion. It was just horrific. I felt so, just, judged and I felt disgusting, I felt ashamed. It just felt horrible, there's no words to describe. It's taken me many, many years to come to terms with it. Now, for me, all pain is growth, so every single part of my experiences I was meant to feel and I wouldn't be the person I am today without them."
At the time, revenge porn was not yet illegal so Tulisa only received an apology from her ex-boyfriend. A law related to the unlawful sharing of explicit images did not come into force until 2014, meaning Tulisa was unable to seek justice back in 2012 and Edwards was unable to be prosecuted. The star did take civil action and eventually settled with Edwards after he admitted he had been behind the tape's release.
On the podcast, which was aired in October of this year, Tulisa said the matter still affected her "to this day", but added that there "is no regret" from her behalf. She said she recognised the situation was "her path," before stating that she was "meant to live it".
She then touched upon her experience on The X Factor after the sex tape leak: "I just became miserable by the end of that second year, I wasn't going to do the show again. I just hated it, I hated it every day. Like I said, it's taken me years. I didn't even know how long I would need to process it. It's affected my relationships to this day and intimacy and all those kinds of things - it's life-changing in a big, big way."
Living with Bell's palsy
While on Olivia Attwood's podcast, the singer also discussed living with Bell's palsy - a health condition that she had endured for 12 years. According to the NHS, Bell's palsy is a temporary weakness or lack of movement that usually affects one side of the face.
Treatment with steroids can help and most people get better within six months, however it can take longer for some. On the podcast, Tulisa spoke about how she had looked for help from various doctors after feeling as though there were ants crawling across her face and like her "cheek was on fire".
She explained that despite getting her diagnosis for Bell's palsy in 2020, she continued to suffer from health issues, which caused her face to swell up. She said: "When I was about 24, I had my first Bell's palsy attack, so went down to a certain extent, left with some mild swelling and then my whole face just dropped.
She later added: "My face remained like that for seven months. I didn't go out, I just hid." She then added: "As I was coming to the end of the seven months, my face is still not right, I still have the mild swelling. I would go and get fillers to try and balance out the symmetry".
'I'd seen it all and deceit people could commit'
In 2014 the star's BBC documentary Tulisa: The Price of Fame followed the singer's trial after she was charged with being involved in a cocaine deal, and the wake of the conviction of undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood.
Mahmood, who worked for The Sun, claimed Ms Contostavlos, who was 26 at the time, had brokered a deal through her friend Mike GLC to supply Class A drugs in 2013. It later emerged that undercover Mahmood had set her up by posing as a wealthy film producer who wanted her to star in a Hollywood blockbuster.
The singer denied being involved with the supply of 13.9 grams of cocaine. A year later, the case was dropped, as the judge believed prosecution witness Mahmood had lied to the court. He was later sent to prison for 15 months.
Speaking after the charges against her were dropped, Tulisa - who always said she was innocent - said: "Let me be perfectly clear, I have never dealt drugs and I have never been involved in taking or dealing cocaine. This whole case was a horrific and disgusting entrapment by Mazher Mahmood."
While on Fearne Cotton's podcast Happy Place, the singer discussed the experience. She said: "I didn't actually win, he was caught out lying in court and so the case was dropped. And then obviously he was prosecuted for perjury. But yeah, that year - I call it my year of enlightenment.
"There's nothing like it. You can't buy life experience like that. It's just completely unexpected, I thought at the time, nothing much can shock me, basically. I'd seen it all and deceit people could commit and lies that could be told. But when that happened, I was like, wow, this is next level".
