Music icon Lulu has opened up about her first-time alcohol addiction and the childhood trauma behind it.
The 76-year-old Eurovision star is best known for her 1964 single Shout, which launched a career that spanned more than six decades, as well as the song Relighting My Fire.
Behind the scenes, however, Lulu spent years facing ‘dark’ moments and struggling with ‘shame’, which eventually led to a stint in rehab.
In a new interview, she opens up about her drinking and the fears she had about tarnishing her ‘Scream Clean’ public image, admitting she had previously revealed her father’s alcoholism.
“I think I always wanted to be the perfect miss, the ‘best lulu,’ and I was scared of being like my dad,” she confessed to The Times .
The singer continued: ‘For years, I made the choice not to talk about [my alcoholism] publicly. I chose to wait until I had the language to understand it before I started talking.
“I’ve learned a lot from other people, their memoirs and self-help books too, so maybe I can help now.”
Lulu then detailed some frightening moments from her upbringing, such as witnessing violent domestic abuse between her father and mother and the time her father was ‘dragged’ by the police.
While she feared people would perceive her parents as ‘bad people,’ she now says they were ‘damaged,’ but also ‘carried so much shame’ over their actions.
Lulu believes her alcoholism was “the culmination of a lifetime spent trying to suppress feelings,” having always supported her family and had a professional image to uphold.
Fortunately, she is reaping the benefits of recovery, declaring that she has ‘never been happier in [her] life’.
‘And at the same time, [I have] never been more in touch with my feelings,’ the star added, which helped her ‘forgive’ her parents for the violence she was privy to.
‘The problem with drinking is that you become the worst part of who you really are. You can be happy and sing and have fun, but it doesn’t last,’ he explained.
‘If you keep drinking, you might get melancholic. We might get angry. I’ve worked so hard to understand this. I finally understand that it’s a disease that affects everything.’
“So I know it sounds mean, but I’m glad I’m an alcoholic and that I’m in recovery.”
Lulu, whose mother and father died in 1996 and 1998 respectively, sought professional help after constantly wondering why she was drinking and why things weren’t ‘getting better’ as she wasn’t happy.
Acknowledging that she “didn’t feel good enough” for a long time and feeling scrutinized in the spotlight, she called her son, Jordan Frieda, 48, to tell him she was entering rehab.
These days, Lulu, who was married twice, first to Maurice Gibb from 1969 to 1973, then to John Frieda from 1977 to 1991, is living in a much ‘brighter’ world, residing in central London with her Cockapoo.
She is also determined to persist with her career ‘until [she] drops’.
This comes after she announced last year that she would formally retire from touring, a decision she made in part due to her “moderate hearing loss.” Lulu, however, still sings and performs.
She joined Sir Rod Stewart on stage at Glastonbury 2025 as a surprise guest during his Legends slot on the Pyramid Stage.
‘I’ve had a lot of tough times. And alcohol came along and bit me in the nose. But if there’s one trait I now realize it is, it’s resilience,’ Lulu says.
‘I thank God for this every day.’
Since bravely opening up about her alcoholism, Lulu has been inundated with messages of support from fans online, praising her for ‘helping so many people’.
Need help?
The NHS recommends DrinkLine, the national alcohol helpline. If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s alcohol, there’s a free helpline you can call with confidence. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am-8pm, weekends 11am-4pm).
Or you can try Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a free self-help group with a 12-step program.
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