Lulu has revealed that the process of putting together her new memoir has been "so intense" that she "had to go into therapy".
The Scottish singer whose memoir is due for release later this year, has spoken about the importance of mental health ahead of a sponsored walk for her new charitable fund, Lulu's Mental Health Trust.
"I’ve just completed writing my memoir, or an autobiography, whatever you want to call it, and it’s been fairly intense, because I am 76 and being in the public eye, there’s a lot of things I have not divulged", she said. "There’s a lot of things I didn’t feel comfortable talking about because, as a human being, I’ve had trials, I’ve had tribulations, I’ve had issues".
Last Monday, Lulu walked from the charity's east London location where she recorded 'To Sir With Love', to the old Decca Studios, where she recorded 'Shout'. The singer also said that she had always wanted to set up a mental health charity, as her family had experienced their own mental health issues.
So far, Lulu has raised more than £15,000 for the charity through people sponsoring her for her walk.
Lulu's memoir, If Only You Knew, looks at her past, with the singer describing it as "very cathartic".
"There are things you don’t know, and I’m going to talk about them, and it’s really in order to help, but it’s been very cathartic", she said. "It is in order to maybe help someone else who’s had a similar issue and they haven’t dealt with it, or don’t know how to, and I felt very alone in my head all my life, because I think I’ve been brought up to keep a lot of things secretive and keep it to myself, but that was my mother’s (era) age".
"Today, things are more open, and if it can help, if you can relate to someone, it doesn’t make you feel so alone. So that’s part of the reason for doing the book".
"The other part is, I’m 76, I might not last much longer, and I’ve got grandchildren, and it’s all documented, but it’s been very cathartic for me", she added. "In fact, I had to go into therapy because it’s been so intense. When you’ve kept stuff down, they (emotions) lodge in you. They lodge in your body somewhere".
"And sometimes they can affect your physical health, definitely your mental health. But to try and get them (those feelings) to come up, it’s been intense".
If Only You Knew, is to arrive on September 25. She will also begin a UK book tour four days later.
