I'm A Celebrity's Tulisa's health battle that affects her face
I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! is well underway, with a star-studded lineup entertaining our screens for another year. The celebrity campmates include 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.
36-year-old Tulisa Contostavlos shot to fame in 2007 as one of the members of R&B and hip-hop band N-Dubz, alongside her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer. Their most notable songs include Playing with Fire, I Swear and I Need You.
Fans will also recognise her as a judge from the ITV singing competition The X Factor, which she joined in 2011, before launching her own debut solo album, The Female Boss. Last year, she reunited with her N-Dubz band members for a tour before they released their fourth album, which was titled Timeless. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
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The singer-songwriter has also spoken candidly 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. You can read more about this here.
The star has been open about her health battle, which has affected her for over a decade. On Monday, November 18, as I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! was in full swing TV presenter Rylan Clark reminded fans about Tulisa's previous health issues.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the presenter and radio host - who previously competed on X Factor the same time Tulisa was a judge on the show, said: "Also, before people start going for appearance, Tulisa has been through a lot health wise the last few years so let's not make s**t jokes about her on twitter yeah x".
While the singer has been cleared to compete in all the I'm a Celeb challenges, she has been diagnosed with Bell's palsy, which is 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. While on Olivia Attwood's podcast, the singer discussed living with Bell's palsy and 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". The singer-songwriter also explained that a doctor had found "three chronically infected cysts" in her cheek.
Upon entering the jungle, Tulisa said that her friends hoped this would be her opportunity "for people to see the person" she is. She said: "My friends who I have told are really excited. They feel it will be good for people to see the person I am - and not the perception. They are very two different people and they are excited. I just want to be in a place now where I live authentically".
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! continues on ITV1 on Tuesday, November 19 at 9pm.
