Mutya Buena admitted how she was ‘forced to pull herself together’ for the sake of her daughter as she struggled with drugs and alcohol at height of her fame.
The singer, who found fame as part of girl band Sugababes in 1998, was just 13-years-old when the group were signed.
Speaking in an interview, ahead of the release of her tell-all autobiography, she detailed her intense partying that left her ‘popping antidepressants like crazy’ and banning herself from visiting Ibiza for fears she would ‘die there.’
Mutya, who famously left the band a few months after the birth of her daughter Tahlia-May in 2005, recalled how her birth forced her to make changes.
She told The Times: ‘Having her was the best thing for me. I’ve had to pull myself together – I don’t want my daughter to see me as a drunk, taking drugs.
‘I want to be someone that she can turn to at all times, and be proud of.’
Mutya Buena admitted how she was ‘forced to pull herself together’ for the sake of her daughter as she struggled with drugs and alcohol at height of her fame (pictured in July)
The singer, who found fame as part of girl band Sugababes in 1998, was just 13-years-old when the group were signed. She left after the birth of her daughter Tahlia-May in 2005
Mutya said how in the years prior she found herself getting ‘a bit out of control’ and was often ‘buzzed’ off booze on daytime TV.
The extent of her partying forced her to impose a ban on visiting Ibiza, ‘I felt like there was a real possibility that it was the place I was going to die,’ she admitted.
The singer’s new book, called Real Girl is named after her 2007 solo album and her single of the same name which reached number 2 in the charts.
In the publication she writes about her health struggles and incidents in her personal life which have so far been unknown to her fans.
Mutya was part of the original line-up of the Sugababes with Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy.
Siobhan left the group in 2001 and was replaced with Heidi range with Mutya leaving four years later.
Keisha – the last original member – then left the group in 2009 and was replaced by former Eurovision entrant Jade Ewan. The group split two years later.
The original members reunited in 2019 and have since sold out The O2, shut down Glastonbury stages twice due to demand and performed to record breaking crowds at European gigs.
Speaking in an interview, she detailed her intense partying that left her ‘popping antidepressants like crazy’ and banning herself from visiting Ibiza for fears she would die there
She told The Times: ‘Having her was the best thing for me. I’ve had to pull myself together – I don’t want my daughter to see me as a drunk, taking drugs’
On Thursday night, the group, who also received an award, delivered a show-stopping performance on stage at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards. L-R Mutya, Siobhan Donaghy and Keisha Buchanan
On Thursday night, the group, who also received an award, delivered a show-stopping performance on stage at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, held at 180 The Strand.
The Sugababes trio were overcome with emotion after Ashley Roberts presented them with the award, stating they had worked for ‘an industry who spit you out’.
Siobhan Donaghy began: ‘That was really lovely, it makes me quite emotion. To be named Women Of The Year is such a privilege so thank you.
‘This past year reminded me that strength doesn’t always have to be loud and unity doesn’t always have to be perfect.
‘Being independent artist means never really switching off… but we have learnt to find joy in the chaos.’
Keisha Buchanan added: ‘This moment feels like such a blessing. My faith has carried me through times when it would have been easier to give up.
‘When we first came into the game it was rare to see women who looked like us, Filipino, Irish, Jamaican, with our different stories. So to stand here today as businesswomen, it is about more than music it is our legacy.
‘Sisterhood is holding space for each other on days even when it is hard to show up as our best. It’s knowing when one of us shines we all shine.
‘In a world that sometimes tells women there is an expiration date, we are hear to say your life doesn’t fade you just learn to shine in different ways.’
