Tulisa opens up about heartbreaking 'breakdown' after leaving I'm A Celeb jungle
27 December 2024, 18:16
Tulisa spoke to Paul C. Brunson on his podcast about her mental health after leaving the jungle and why she refused to go back on camera after her exit.
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I'm a Celebrity star Tulisa Contostavlos has opened up about how her experience on the ITV reality series triggered a breakdown as soon as she left the jungle.
As soon as Tulisa was voted out, she left Australia and removed all traces of her time on the show from her social media accounts. Her sudden departure left fans both confused and concerned, particularly after she chose not to appear in the Coming Out show alongside her campmates.
The former N-Dubz singer later took to Instagram to address the ongoing speculation, sharing that she had become overwhelmed by everything. Another statement issued by her team said that she had been struggling with her mental health.
Now, Tulisa has opened up in detail about how she felt after leaving the jungle on Paul C. Brunson's podcast.
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Tulisa opens up after leaving I’m A Celeb
In part two of her chat with Married At First Sight expert Paul on the 'We Need To Talk' pod, Tulisa revealed that she broke down and urged her team to not put her back on camera after she'd left the jungle.
"When I came out, I began to cry when I had the first moment to myself," she said. "And the first thing I did when I spoke to the team, they said 'What's wrong?' And I said 'Please don't put me back on camera. I need to be off now, too much. I'm really proud of myself, but I pushed myself too far, too soon, I need to go home'."
She continued: "You want me to be there out of principle? When I'm having a breakdown right now? No, I need to go home and process this."
"I guess in a way I'm blessed to be that person to say if my mind isn't feeling healthy, I'm going to take care of myself. I'm not going to push myself over any edges. I need to take care of myself, I need to protect me," she added.
Explaining why she deleted all photos of herself on the show from her Instagram, Tulisa explained: "I came out and the same night I was having a cry I was like, 'I'm not going back on camera'."
"I was looking through my socials and it was just all me and I was in flip out mode," she continued. "I just wanted it all gone and to go home and process things."
She went on to add that she hasn't quite processed everything just yet, and that she's at "70 percent right now".
"For me to be in the public eye, I need to do things that are a bit more hard hitting, things like this [the podcast]," she added. "Just keeping it 100% real."
Tulisa reflects on I'm A Celeb experience
Elsewhere during her chat with Paul, Tulisa also opened up about how she struggled with her mental health during her time in the jungle. At one point, she had an anxiety attack that wasn't shown on screen.
"Some of the things you didn't see, I had night terrors for the first four days," she shared. "I was waking up out of my sleep, and I was having anxiety attacks. Those parts, not everyone knows, so it wasn't completely smooth sailing for me at all, but I have a great poker face."
"I really can turn it on and especially when I'm faced with adversity. The last thing I wanted to do was go in there and be the hot mess. So if anything, I'm going to be the biggest soldier there is."
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health, the following organisations may be able to help:
Read more Tulisa news here:
- I’m A Celeb’s Tulisa reveals truth behind ‘blazing row’ with best friends
- I'm A Celeb's Alan Halsall and Tulisa's family respond to romance speculation
- Why is Tulisa exempt from some I’m A Celeb trials? Her medical condition explained
- I'm A Celeb's Tulisa's 'horrifying' unaired medical emergency in Bushtucker trial
- I'm A Celeb's Tulisa comes out as demisexual and explains why she's been celibate for 3 years
