Tulisa has candidly shared the trials of her tough upbringing with her mother, Anne, who struggled with her mental health throughout the singer’s youth.
The artist, famous for her time in N-Dubz and as an X Factor judge, spoke of how the turbulence she faced growing up brought its challenges, yet it was her dream of performing that provided her a sense of direction.
Born to her Irish mother Anne Byrne from Churchtown, County Dublin, and Greek Cypriot father Plato Contostavlos, a former keyboardist with Mungo Jerry, Tulisa is no stranger to a musical lineage.
Her mother also boasts a musical background, having performed with her sisters during the ’80s in the big band and swing ensemble, Jeep, reports RSVP Live.
Amid the backdrop of a one-bedroom council flat in North London, Tulisa lived with her mum where safety was a constant concern. In her autobiography Honest, released in 2012, she recounted: “Mum was obsessive about locking our front door, and it was always locked from the inside with the keys still hanging in the door.”
She goes on to describe a vivid childhood memory: “One morning I noticed that although the key was in the lock, it hadn’t been turned, and the door was actually unlocked.”
“Knowing that my mum would freak out and feel vulnerable if she spotted it, I turned the key and locked it myself.”
But this seemingly small action had significant repercussions: “Within seconds, my mum, hearing the jangle of the keys, came tearing out into the hall, screaming at me hysterically.”
“I guess she thought I was trying to open the door and panicked, but went completely off the deep end, accusing me of wanting to make her ill, or even kill her, and it went on and on.”
“Incidents like this were a regular occurrence in our house, along with temper tantrums and mood swings.”
In the 2010 BBC documentary ‘Tulisa: My mum and Me’, Tulisa opened up about her mother’s battle with schizoaffective disorder a complex ailment characterised by symptoms of schizophrenia alongside a mood disorder, such as bipolar or depression. Her mother was diagnosed with the condition 17 years ago.
The N-Dubz star candidly revealed how the strain of caring for her ill mother drove her to fraternise with a gang, and dabble in alcohol and drugs. The songstress confided: “One of the worst things about dealing with my mum was how helpless and alone I felt at such a vulnerable age.”
She expressed frustration over medical professionals’ inability to manage her mother’s volatile behaviour, confessing: “The doctors didn’t seem to be able to stabilise my mother’s moods and I felt myself being dragged further and further down by the environment I was forced to live in.”
She continued: “Music and my dream of becoming a success was all that kept me going through those very dark times.”
Her respite came in the form of increased visits to her aunt’s home after her father Plato departed from their family unit.
Describing her mother’s reaction to her dad leaving, Tulisa recalled: “My dad left home and it triggered one of her episodes,” she said. “One minute she’d look all mournful as if someone had died, the next she’d be angry and aggressive, smashing cupboards and shouting.”
“Inevitably, she went into hospital again and I stayed with my mum’s older sister, Louise. She had children of her own and it was felt she was more able to look after a young girl.”
“I used to dread my mum getting better and coming home because it would mean I’d have to leave my aunt’s house where I felt safe and happy and normal.”
Despite the challenges they faced, the mother and daughter duo have kept their bond intact over the years, as evidenced by photos of the I’m a Celebrity star alongside her mum.
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! airs Monday-Sundays at 9pm on ITV1