Lulu: “I deeply disliked myself!” Recovering from alcoholism and trauma

Happy Place with Fearne Cotton

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Thursday, 25 September 2025 - 1 hour 2 minutes

Lulu shot to fame at 15, and she’s been playing that part, masking who she really is – Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie – for the six decades since.In this chat with Fearne, Lulu explains how she felt that everything from her real name and accent, to her personality and childhood weren’t good enough, so she created a character for the public to love. However, this kind of emotional suppression can have painful consequences, and she’s since learned to stop running from her messy parts.Lulu talks through the moment she realised she was an alcoholic, and how recovery has helped her truly like herself. They chat about how to trust your intuition, and reinvent yourself in every decade should you want to... but prepare for others to find your growth uncomfortable.Plus, there are revelations about her relationship with David Bowie that Lulu’s never publicised before, and details about how she put her father in jail as a child.Lulu’s new book, If Only You Knew, is out now.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Jon Bon JoviZandra RhodesJada Pinkett Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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