Scottish singer Lulu has publicly revealed her secret battle with alcoholism, admitting she was a 'secret drinker' for years. The 76-year-old star told The Times that she first disclosed her drinking problem to her sister at her own 65th birthday party.
Twenty-four hours after that family lunch, she flew to the Meadows rehabilitation centre in Arizona for six weeks and committed to Alcoholics Anonymous, which she still attends. During rehab, she was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by witnessing violent domestic abuse between her parents as a child.
Lulu, whose real name is Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, said: 'I've never spoken about the alcohol before. Lulu is sort of squeaky clean.' She added: 'I think I always wanted to be Miss Perfect, the best Lulu, and I was terrified of being like my father.'
The Glaswegian said she spent five years dependent on wine before admitting the problem. Even her friends in recovery did not spot the habit. She never drank before going on stage or around her young grandchildren, but noted that alcoholism runs in her genes.
Her therapist compared her homelife in a Glasgow tenement to a 'war zone'. Her father would regularly hit her mother when drunk, and her mother would lie about it. 'My mother taught me how to keep secrets,' Lulu said. At 15, she moved to London and scored her first hit with a cover of Shout.
Lulu has achieved 10 UK top 10 singles and is known for To Sir, With Love and Boom Bang-A-Bang, a joint Eurovision winner in 1969. She said: 'Lulu would help me feel light and cheerful when really I was a bit of a tortured soul.' Her memoir, If Only You Knew, is released on 25 September.
