Scottish music icon Lulu has spoken candidly about the constant vigilance required to maintain her sobriety, more than a decade after she secretly checked into a rehabilitation facility.
A Life-Changing Decision in 2013
The 76-year-old singer, whose career skyrocketed with 'Shout' in 1964 and includes winning the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest, has revealed she has not touched a drink since November 3, 2013. This followed a pivotal six-week stay at an American rehab centre, a move she kept private for years.
Lulu explained that the decision to seek help came after a frank conversation during her 65th birthday party, where she admitted to herself and her family that she had a problem with alcohol. "It took me that long," she confessed on Matt Willis's 'On The Mend' podcast. The final catalyst was a chat with her niece about a friend struggling with drink, to which Lulu blurted out, "He's not the only one."
Living with a 'Healthy Fear'
The performer, who took to the stage at Glastonbury in 2024, now describes managing a "healthy fear of relapse" as part of her ongoing recovery. She emphasised that this fear is not a daily burden but a sobering awareness of the potential consequences.
"I have an understanding it could happen," Lulu stated, adding that a return to drinking would signify "the end of her." She likened the potential fallout to "cutting off your arm... I would just collapse." Despite this, she says she rarely envies those drinking around her, even fine wine, which she once enjoyed.
The Hidden Struggle and Path to Recovery
In her 2023 memoir, 'If You Only Knew', Lulu finally went public with her battle, a move she found "liberating." She detailed how she was a "highly functioning alcoholic", even drinking in secret every night while competing on the 2011 series of 'Strictly Come Dancing' with partner Brendan Cole.
Less than 24 hours after her revealing birthday party conversation, Lulu was on a flight to the US, breaking the news to her "shocked" son Jordan during a call before take-off. After her initial six-week treatment, she committed to an intensive aftercare routine, attending one or two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings "every day for five years."
Learning through AA that addiction was an illness, not a moral failing, brought her immense relief. "I was so relieved because I thought I was a bad person," she shared. Today, over eleven years sober, Lulu's story stands as a powerful testament to the ongoing journey of recovery and the resilience required to maintain it.
