Tulisa Contostavlos posted a series of holiday photographs on Tuesday showing the singer in a turquoise two-piece, and has told podcast hosts she has ended a three-year period of celibacy while remaining selective about relationships.
The 37-year-old former N-Dubz frontwoman shared images that showed her posing in a criss-cross scoop-neck bikini top and matching low-rise bottoms, accessorised with a silver butterfly necklace, stacked rings and silver-toned sunglasses. Some photos were taken in a hotel bathroom before she headed to the pool; others showed her reclining on a sun lounger as she topped up her tan.
Her latest public posts followed recent interviews in which she discussed her sexual orientation, relationships and personal history. On Jaime Laing's Great Company podcast, Tulisa said she was no longer celibate but emphasised that attraction for her is tied closely to emotional connection and is "few and far between." She told the host: "Finding someone I like is very few and far between, and then if I do find someone that I like, I can feel physical attraction to you. I can be very flirtatious, but I don't think about having sex with them until I start building quite a deep emotional, and it takes a long time to get to that place."
Tulisa has previously spoken about periods of asexuality and described herself as attracted to intelligence. During an appearance on Paul C Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast last year she said: "I've had periods of being asexual in my life, periods. I've been told that I'm sapiosexual as well, very much attracted to intelligence." She added that she can notice someone's appearance without feeling sexual desire: "I can look at someone and think they have a cute face, but I don't get any tingles. I don't think about sex."
Asked if she regarded her body as "sacred," Tulisa replied that she believes women should be "worshipped a lot more" than they are treated in society and spoke about the importance of emotional alignment in intimate encounters, saying that physical exchanges carry other forms of energy. She also joked about the length of her celibacy, saying "Three years and four months, but who's counting," while insisting she remained single and did not want a relationship "for the sake of being in a relationship." When asked about love, she said: "Real love for me is time and loyalty, choosing someone every day. That, for me, is love. I have it in a lot of friendships."
Tulisa's openness about sexuality and relationships is set against a traumatic episode in her personal history. At the height of her fame she was involved in a high-profile 2012 court case after an intimate recording involving her was released by an ex-partner, Justin Edwards. She has described the incident as traumatising and has said it continues to affect her relationships. At the time, revenge porn was not a specific criminal offence in the United Kingdom and Tulisa has said the legal outcome amounted to a court apology.
She has also discussed struggles with addiction and two suicide attempts, material she plans to address in a forthcoming autobiography titled Judgement: Love, Trials and Tribulations. Tulisa has said she intends to be "brutally honest" in the book.
The photographs and interviews come as she continues to maintain a public profile through social media and media appearances. Her recent posts drew attention for their styling and setting as well as for the personal revelations accompanying them; she has framed her stance on relationships as a product of selectiveness and the need for an emotional foundation before physical intimacy.