X Factor star Janet Devlin has revealed she had an eating disorder, a battle with alcohol and would self-harm while appearing on the ITV show as a teen.
The singer, 30, was just 16-years-old when she finished fifth on the 2011 series of The X Factor, competing against acts like Little Mix and Amelia Lily.
Now Janet has opened up about her battles but insisted she had was living with mental health issues before entering the ITV competition.
Speaking to OK! she said: ‘I’d love to say the show heightened my issues; that would be an easier narrative! But I had a wealth of mental health issues before.
‘I already had an eating disorder, self-harmed and had quite a bad relationship with alcohol because of the relationship I was in at the time.’
‘So, the show was what I needed; I needed something to get me out of bed and to work towards. Having a new song to learn every week kept my head above water, so, it was really good for me.
X Factor star Janet Devlin has revealed she had a eating disorder, a battle with alcohol and would self-harm while appearing on the ITV show as a teen
The singer, 30, was just 16-years-old when she finished fifth on the 2011 series of The X Factor, competing against acts like Little Mix and Amelia Lily
‘It helped with my eating disorder too, because I made it a mission not to lose weight while doing The X Factor because I didn’t want to be perceived as a negative role model for young girls. I knew they were watching and as much as no one wants that pressure of being a role model, it was a ‘good’ pressure for me.’
Janet admitted her mother was ‘distraught’ during that time but now she has got her issues under control and has an ‘amazing’ relationship with her parents.
The singer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder – which she revealed took a huge weight off her shoulders.
Janet is now on medication for the condition and is feeling lighter, which has helped the singer in the writing of her new album, Emotional Rodeo.
She admitted she has ‘finally figured herself out’ after celebrating her 30th birthday and has returned to the charts with the new album – 13 years after appearing on the ITV show – and is hoping her struggles can ‘stay in the past now and she can ‘start living again’.
Janet added: ‘I absolutely bawled my eyes out on my birthday because there was a period in my life where I couldn’t see [living] past 20. Luckily, I did – and turning 30 was just the best feeling in the world. Not everybody gets that privilege.’
Janet was rushed to hospital after she collapsed alone in a hotel corridor last year.
The singer revealed she lost consciousness while being in the hotel on her own and badly hurt her jaw and wrist.
Now Janet has opened up about her battles but insisted she had the struggles before the ITV competition
She said: ‘I’d love to say the show heightened my issues; that would be an easier narrative! But I had a wealth of mental health issues before. I already had an eating disorder, self-harmed and had quite a bad relationship with alcohol; pictured with Dermot O’Leary
The singer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder – which she revealed took a huge weight off her shoulders and she is now on medication for the condition
She admitted she has ‘finally figured herself out’ and has returned to the charts with a new album, Emotional Rodeo – 13 years after appearing on the ITV show – and is hoping her struggles can ‘stay in the past now and she can ‘start living again’
Thinking that nothing major has happened, the singer just went to work regularly assuming she ‘had an abscess in my gum and slept funny on my wrist’.
But after collapsing, the performer was urgently rushed into hospital, where doctors carefully proceeded to test her and further investigate her health condition.
On her Twitter page the songwriter shared a statement, along with two snaps of herself and a picture of the Godfather movie as she joked: ‘the jawd father,’ alongside a praying hands emoji and a red heart.
In one photo, Janet can be seen laying down on the hospital bed wearing a orthopedic wrist support.
In her update statement she wrote: ‘Just wanting to take a second to say a thank you to the lovely Drs, Nurses and NHS staff that looked after me today! Especially Tyrone – if you ever see this – you’re a legend!’
‘I’ve been safely discharged now! To anyone who doesn’t know what happened – I collapsed on Wednesday night, on my own, in a hotel corridor.
‘I don’t know how long I was unconscious for, but I just went to work the next day as normal.
‘But I woke up with a swollen jaw and a really painful wrist. I thought I had an abscess in my gum and slept funny on my wrist.
‘I was wrong. I actually smashed my jaw on the floor and my wrist too.’
She continued: ‘Luckily I’m fine. My bloods are normal. Nothing is broken. I’ll be getting a referral to look into the heart again. Oh and resting up!
‘Thank you for all your lovely messages and thank you so much again to the NHS.’
