Lulu, the 76-year-old singer, has revealed she was a "secret drinker" for years, saying she hid an alcohol addiction from the public as she sought to maintain a polished image. In an interview with The Times ahead of the release of her memoir, If Only You Knew, she said she attended rehab, is now in recovery and believes she inherited a predisposition to alcoholism.
"I was a secret drinker," Lulu said. "I think I always wanted to be Miss Perfect, the 'best Lulu', and I was terrified of being like my father." She told the publication she had "battled shame in secret for years" and that for a long time she chose not to speak publicly about her problems until she felt she had the language to understand them.
Lulu said she placed her career first and followed family advice not to "air her dirty linen in public," which she suggested contributed to keeping her struggles private. The singer said the process of writing the memoir prompted her to seek therapy and confront matters she had kept hidden for years.
The disclosure comes as Lulu promotes If Only You Knew. She told The Times she believes an inherited gene played a role in her alcohol use and that acknowledging the problem publicly was a gradual process tied to gaining the right words to describe it. She described feeling shame and a desire to present a flawless public persona despite private struggles.
Lulu said she had been instructed from an early age to preserve appearances, and that this upbringing influenced how she managed personal difficulties while in the spotlight. She said her decision to enter rehab and to pursue therapy followed the writing of the memoir, and that she had not previously discussed the extent of her drinking in interviews.
Her remarks echo earlier, more cautious hints about private struggles; in past interviews she avoided detailed discussion of personal addiction but maintained a polished public image. In the recent conversation with The Times, she detailed why she waited to speak openly, saying she wanted to understand her experience fully before discussing it.
Lulu framed her recovery as ongoing and described the revelations in her memoir and subsequent therapy as part of a broader effort to address long-standing issues. The singer’s admission contributes to public conversations about addiction, heredity and the pressures on performers to conceal personal difficulties to protect careers and public reputations.
If Only You Knew is set to be released by Lulu’s publishers, and the singer has said the book and ensuing therapy were instrumental in prompting her to address matters she had long hidden. She did not provide a detailed timeline for her treatment or recovery beyond saying she had attended rehab and was now in recovery.
The disclosure adds a personal chapter to Lulu’s public life, as she moves to reconcile a long career with a private history of addiction and shame. Her account underscores the private nature of many addiction struggles and the role of therapy and rehabilitation in addressing them.