Tulisa Contostavlos has finally broken her silence her on her I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! experience

Tulisa Contostavlos has bravely admitted she was ‘hyperventilating and crying’ after her sad stint on I’m A Celebrity.

The N-Dubz star, 36, swerved the final of the show earlier this month after deleting all mention of the series on her Instagram after being voted out of the jungle third.

After hot-footing it to the UK, before telling her followers she had been left “overwhelmed” by the experience, Tulisa’s legion of loyal fans were worried about her.

She admitted she still had “demons” in an emotional post on social media as she spoke of dealing with life in the spotlight after a 10-year hiatus.

Tulisa Contostavlos swerved the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! final, which worried fans

Now, she’s admitted how she really felt, bravely revealing she was “hyperventilating” and “crying” after leaving the show. Speaking to the Guardian, she said: “I came out, still followed by cameras, all t**s and teeth, and it wasn’t until I was on my own that I felt this introvert-overload.

“I was hyperventilating, crying. It was too much.” She was never able to determine, “Is this about a fear I have of being in the spotlight? Or is the person I’ve become just not the kind of person that wants fame any more?”

After taking a break from the spotlight for a decade following a tough time, which included a sting operation to catch Tulisa taking drugs, the Camden-born star said she was curious to see what life in the limelight would be like again.

She mused: “I had a lot of fear surrounding exposure and I got to the point where I thought: ‘Am I holding on to this fear because of what people have done to me in the past? Am I letting other people change my perception of what my career is and could be?’ I didn’t want to feel that way any more.”

After her jungle exit, Tulisa was surrounded by a string of rumours, including a reported row with her best friend, Michelle McKenna, and annoyance over the way she was edited on I’m A Celeb.

However, a spokesperson for the star denied all the reports, telling the Mirror: “The truth of the matter is that Tulisa was struggling with her mental health, which is what she told fans.

“”There has been absolutely no fall out between Tulisa and her best friend Michelle. They haven’t argued once since Tulisa left the jungle. Michelle in fact travelled back to London with Tulisa.

“This story has been completely fabricated and wasn’t even sent to Tulisa’s team for a chance to comment prior to publication. The decision for Tulisa to return home to the UK was agreed to by the production for welfare reasons.”

Breaking her silence after deleting all I’m A Celeb posts from her Instagram as well as swerving the show’s spin-off Unpacked, Tulisa admitted she was an “introvert” and had been “overwhelmed” as she ‘still had her demons.

However, in the I’m A Celebrity: Coming Out show, she said: “I said I was going to come out a different person but I don’t feel different, I feel more strong in who I am.”

The star shot to fame with N-Dubz, but is now interested in a career away from the music industry ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Shortly before arriving Down Under for her stint in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Tulisa opened up about an agonising health battle that completely transformed her appearance.

The N-Dubz rapper was once one of the most famous faces on British television, sitting behind the judges’ table on The X Factor during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. She then launched her impressive solo career, with her debut single, Young, soaring to the very top of the UK charts.

Fans were delighted when she joined this year’s star-studded I’m A Celeb lineup, where she shared camp supplies with the likes of Coleen Rooney, GK Barry, Jane Moore and McFly singer Danny Jones, but sadly there was some unpleasantness online.

Although many were cheering the 36-year-old on as she kept her eyes fixed on the jungle crown, there were those who took aim at her appearance, insisting she looks “so different”.

Shortly before her jungle adventure began, Tulisa sat down with Olivia Attwood for an episode of her So Wrong It’s Right podcast, where she spoke openly about her struggles with Bell’s Palsy, a condition that left her with swelling, and difficulties moving her face.

Camden-born Tulisa told Olivia: “When I was about 24, I had my first Bell’s Palsy attack. So I sat at home, and I had a massive burst of inflammation, and it went down, but my whole face dropped – eye, everything. I couldn’t move it; my face remained like that for seven months; I didn’t go out; I just hid in the house.”

Pointing to her face, Tulisa explained, “As I was coming to the end of the seven months, my face was still not right… I would go and get fillers to try and balance out the symmetry. So I’d be like right, if you put some in that cheek to match the swelling on that cheek and then if you put some here to lift this up so my lip isn’t down there. You can imagine the vicious cycle.”

After her success with N-Dubz, as well as leading Little Mix to success on the X-Factor as well as penning Britney Spears and Will-i-am’s smash hit, Scream and Shout, Tulisa has spoken about making a career change.

Speaking to Fearne Cotton on her podcast, the singer suggested she was ready to put music behind her. “The music industry is wild, it is ridiculous. I’m through most of it. I’ll be out in two years,” she said. Instead, Tulisa now looking for land to build her own themed properties.

She continued: “I’m going into property. I am actually going to build some themed rentals. So I’m like, a super fantasy geek, all things like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones.

“And I’ve always wanted to get into the property game. But I was also like, there’s some parts of it that can be a little bit mundane. So instead of just like building houses, let’s build themed places that I can rent out.

She continued: “So yeah, at the minute, I’m looking for land, I want it to all be very kind of like a nature reserve, you know, cabins in a forest, Hobbit houses. So, yeah, that’s my plan for 2024. I’m absolutely buzzing.”

Tulisa’s N-Dubz bandmate, Fazer, who shot to fame with his childhood pal, recently revealed he had checked in on the star, who he claimed was ‘fine’ and ‘getting ready for Christmas, ordering her turkey’. The pair used to date before they decided they were better off as friends.

Tulisa is notoriously private about her romantic life, however she has revealed she has been celibate for three years, telling the Guardian: “I feel like the universe is good. I don’t think it’s going to leave me an isolated and alone individual for the rest of my life. What’s meant for me won’t pass me by.”