Tulisa Contostavlos, who was expected to be a crowd favourite on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, left viewers stunned with her unexpected exit on Monday.
The 36-year-old ‘female boss’, known for her time with N-Dubz and mentoring Little Mix to stardom on the X Factor, acted rather mysteriously after her departure from the jungle.
From erasing all I’m A Celebrity posts on her Instagram to ignoring fellow campmate Melvin Odoom at the hotel following his eviction on Tuesday, it appeared that things were not quite right Down Under.
This led some fans to question on social media: ‘What has happened to Tulisa?’… Tulisa then declined press interviews and opted out of appearing on the ITV2 spin-off show to discuss her jungle experience, which is customary for all evicted celebrities.
Now, the star has addressed her absence, sharing a video to “clear some things up” and explaining that she felt “overwhelmed” by the attention after thrusting herself back into the limelight, reports the Mirror.
The singer-songwriter has spoken out to her fans in a heartfelt video, detailing her experience after exiting the jungle. She shared: “Hey guys, I’m just doing a little video to clear a few things up. When I first came out of the jungle, I felt fine first of all and then that evening, my friends went to bed and I was on my Instagram, just trying to have a casual scroll at some funny stuff. I was getting a lot of attention, a lot of bombarding.”
She continued: “It’s been a bit of a while for me, I can get overwhelmed quite easily and I just started to feel a bit overwhelmed. And I was like, do you know what? I need to just take a little bit of time for me to chill.”
Addressing her reasoning further, she added: “I just really wanted to clear up the reasons why that I did that and just be honest – it’s OK to feel a little bit overwhelmed. I’ve been out of the spotlight for a long time and I’m still trying to overcome those things, I’ve got my demons. It doesn’t mean I’m going to hide behind a rock for another ten years it just means I need a little bit of time to process it and get right with my thoughts.”
Since her early fame with N-Dubz, Tulisa has faced numerous challenges, including the trauma of a leaked sex tape which left her feeling “disgusting”, dealing with a 12-year health struggle, and appearing in court over an £800 cocaine deal allegation.
As Tulisa steps back to assess her journey through the I’m A Celebrity experience and re-enters public life after her break away from the limelight, we provide an insight into her emotional revelations prior to joining the show…
Heartbreaking comments prior to entering jungle
Before joining the show, Tulisa was conscious of the intense scrutiny she’d face after a decade away from the limelight. Speaking to the Mirror, Tulisa shared her initial trepidation: “Running up to this point, this was, like the biggest fear that was just deterring me from going, I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it.
“But now, like I said, that I’m here. I’m not feeling any of these emotions that I expected. I’m the kind of person that just kind of cracks on so I think maybe because I know that I’ve made the decision to do it and it’s inevitable. I’m just going to make the best out of the situation, and I’m not going to sit and spend time stressing over something I can’t change. So I’m like, No, I just want to enjoy it.”
She also reflected on her personal growth: “I’ve been breaking free of, like, a lot of things, like my own stigma and what I can do, and what I’m capable of, and I seem to keep impressing myself each time in terms of, you know, getting uncomfortable, to get great.”
Tulisa discussed the positive changes she’s made: “I’ve just been making big changes, getting toxic energies and, you know, anything negative about my life, getting in structured, positive routines, doing things that are, you know, harder like training twice a day, for instance, but they make me feel amazing.”
She highlighted the significance of overcoming her fears through the show: “This, for me, would complete the cycle, because it’s the last thing on the list is this overwhelming fear that I have or have had. I’m not feeling it today, but overall, of this fear of being on, especially TV.”
Deletes all I’m A Celeb posts from her Instagram page
Tulisa seemed eager to distance herself from I’m A Celeb as quickly as possible, just hours after her unexpected eviction. She was the third celebrity to be voted off the show and looked visibly shocked at being sent home.
Tulisa told hosts Ant and Dec that it was “hard in there” and expressed her excitement about having some pizza after weeks of rice and beans. Despite appearing upbeat during her exit interview, she wasted no time returning to her previous life once she regained control of her phone, promptly removing all I’m A Celebrity themed posts from her Instagram account that had been shared during her time on the show.
“Tulisa was in high spirits when she left the set, but something appears to have happened that’s left her raging,” an insider told the Sun. “She wasn’t in a great mood for her post-show interviews and seems to be already distancing herself from the programme. It’s all a bit of a mystery at the moment.”
During her exit interview, the singer reflected: “You’re just going to be more grateful for everything. The food you eat, the people that you love… you don’t realise how good you’ve got it.”
She also admitted that it was “testing” in there, but she stayed true to herself.
On Tuesday morning, she appeared on ITV’s Lorraine, where she divulged more details about her time in the I’m A Celebrity jungle and hinted that not all of her famous friends were being as genuine as she had been….
Cryptic comment about ‘fake’ friendships
Tulisa’s appearance on ‘Lorraine’ this Tuesday sparked intrigue as she discussed her stint in the jungle, claiming to have made “friends for life” on the show. She reflected: “I feel like I have with some of them. I think they will be friends for life.”
Yet, she cast doubt on the authenticity of some campmate bonds, adding: “But a lot of people for the cameras were being very pally pally, but the real test will be when everyone is out. Will they make the effort to send texts in the group chat? Will they do the four-hour drives to see each other? We’ll see..”
Swerves ITV2 spin-off show
In a surprising twist, Tulisa was notably absent from Tuesday night’s episode of the ITV2 spin-off series Unpacked. Host Joel Dommett announced: “Unfortunately we don’t have Tulisa on the show today.”
This revelation set off a whirlwind of conjecture across social media platforms, with fans eager for answers. One post on X queried: “Where’s Tulisa? Exclusive interview elsewhere? #ImaCeleb #unpacked.”
Meanwhile, others pondered if her absence was connected to the mysterious removal of all I’m A Celeb-related content from her Instagram, which had been updated by her team during her time in the jungle.
One fan penned: “Tulisa removed everything off her instagram to due with the show and now a no show for unpacked…something has p****d her off! #imaceleb.”
Another queried: “Oh, what’ s up with Tulisa I wonder? *” #ImACeleb. ” A further viewer commented: “Is Tulisa having a strop? Going on this show is a publicity move. #ImACelebity #ImaCeleb.”
Fails to join campmates to greet Melvin Odoom
The mystery surrounding Tulisa’s absence deepened as she failed to join campmates to greet Melvin Odoom at his friends and family reunion in the hotel. The singer had earlier been absent from spin-off show Unpacked. She was also missing from the daily gathering in the foyer of the JW Marriott Hotel, on the Gold Coast, which is filmed by ITV and attended by evicted celebs and their loved ones.
However, it’s understood there is “no bad blood” between her and ITV, or her campmates. An insider said the situation would become clear soon. Both Jane Moore and Dean McCullough were inside the hotel to greet Melvin after he became the fourth person to leave the Jungle.
Also missing were Tulisa’s two friends who flew into the jungle to support her. The singer had previously expressed how Melvin was part of her “soul family”.
However, she was nowhere to be seen when the Radio 1 DJ bid farewell to the jungle. It’s not yet known whether Tulisa will be rejoining her famous campmates in Australia as more of the celebs leave the show.
What next for the star?
Prior to entering the jungle, the singer confessed that she didn’t view the show as a means to gain more fame, unlike others might. In an interview with the Mirror, she stated: “I’ve been so anti the TV thing.
“I can’t even imagine, like, going into this to try and start a TV career. I’m just barely going into this, you know what I mean, like, this is enough for me to do. So there’s like, no intention of trying to do anything past this.”
She continued: “It’s more like, let’s just overcome that fear.
“But if something was to come along that I felt passionate about, that was actually exciting, then I see as I go along. But the problem is, with me and TV, I feel like it’s very contrived.
“It takes a lot of that contrived energy, and it’s not really for me.”
The singer expressed her fondness for the show’s raw and authentic nature, saying: “But this show is all about rough, raw, completely, being yourself, which is what I love about it.
“But I can’t really imagine what kind of television you could do afterwards. That is of the same vibe So for me, my only plans are, N Dubz so we’ll do another album, we’ll do another tour.”
She also revealed plans to release new music while in the jungle, stating: “And I’m, actually dropping a song while I’m in the jungle. I’m not even thinking about I’m like, taking everything as it comes. It’s like, yeah, just throw a song out there as well. Why not?
“I don’t have any intention to do, like, solo album, anything. My label was like d’you wanna put something out of that. Go on then let’s do it literally. Like, that’s the energy. Just take or leave things. Just do what sits right with my heart, what I feel happy about, what I feel content with, passionate about. No set plans. Just like, go with the flow.”
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