British singer Paloma Faith has shared some of the most shocking and bizarre experiences from her past, revealing she once worked in a notorious fetish nightclub before finding fame. The 44-year-old, who is currently expecting her third child, made the candid revelations during a conversation with her mother, Pam, on her Mad, Sad and Bad podcast.
Shocking Scenes at Torture Garden
Faith explained that she took a job at the infamous Torture Garden fetish club while trying to earn extra cash during her early days in the music industry, having initially worked in burlesque. She described the environment as one that could 'drive you mad' and warned there are some images you should actively try to avoid putting in your head.
The singer did not hold back on the details, recounting how she once witnessed two individuals who 'pooed on each other', a revelation that prompted her mother to exclaim, 'Oh God, I wouldn't have liked to have seen that'. She also described watching people have sex as 'awful, awful'.
A Surprising Place of Liberation
Despite the more extreme scenes, Faith also recalled moments of unexpected charm. She spoke of one 'harmless' man who would ask to kiss her shoes when she arrived for work. 'I just let him,' she said, 'cos I thought, "oh, do you know what, this is a safe space, and he probably would be judged anywhere else".' She would humour his request, telling him to hurry up because she had a show in ten minutes.
Reflecting on the club's clientele, Faith offered a poignant observation. She concluded that many attendees were people who felt less liberated in the outside world. For them, it was a place to escape their day jobs, perhaps in an HR department, and adopt a different persona at night, like wearing a PVC jockstrap. 'Maybe they needed it because they didn't have that liberation,' she mused.
Pregnancy Worries and Health Scare
The podcast revelations come during what has been a physically challenging time for the singer. Earlier this month, the pregnant star was hospitalised with the flu. She shared a picture of herself wearing a nebuliser to stabilise her breathing, thanking Homerton Hospital for their care.
Faith has also been open about the anxieties of being pregnant in her forties. Sharing snaps of her baby bump, she wrote: 'Pregnancy at 44. Ngl that's a bit worrying but I'm trying to pretend to myself I'm calm so that eventually that comes true.' She added that she is 'bracing myself for the storm' but couldn't be happier about another baby.
Despite the worries, she has maintained her fitness regimen, recently posting a workout video at 23 weeks pregnant. The star, who is expecting the baby with her boyfriend of one year, Stevie Thomas, showed herself squatting and lifting weights, crediting her personal trainers for 'saving her'.
Paloma Faith announced her pregnancy in October, revealing she was 18 weeks along with her first child with Thomas. She shares two daughters with her ex-partner, Leyman Lahcine.
