NATALIE GAUCI: AUSTRALIAN IDOL EXPOSED MY PTSD
She won Australian Idol 13 years ago, now singer and mother-of-one Natalie Gauci has returned to our screens to be part of The Voice.
Impressing the coaches last week, the 38-year-old landed herself a spot on Team Guy, also an Australian Idol alum, but fans shouldn’t expect the Natalie we got to know all those years ago.
“Having a baby changed my life and brought with it so many opportunities,” says Nat, who is the proud mum to a son Jebediah, seven months. “I never thought I’d do reality TV again, but I decided never to say never,” she adds.
Looking back at the popular singing competition, Natalie says she loves its “innocence”, noting there will never be something like Mark Holden’s famous “Touchdown” again on TV.
“The drama was definitely there from Kyle Sandilands – he didn’t hold back, that’s for sure!” she recalls.
Becoming a household name overnight put Natalie on a dark path. “The music industry is known for its sex, drugs and rock’n’roll and I definitely got myself into that for a bit. It was all very accessible and I was always on an adrenalin high from my big shows – I didn’t want to come down,” Natalie confesses, revealing her overnight success left scars from her childhood seriously exposed.
“Something happened to me when
I was a teenager that caused me posttraumatic stress and it didn’t come out and reach the surface until all the fame hit me,” she explains. “I didn’t have the tools to deal with it properly. I didn’t have the right support either.”
Thankfully all that changed for Natalie after she became “enlightened”. “I met a spiritual healer in Germany and he showed me how to meditate. It resonated with me so deeply I used it as an energy practice, and it worked!”
Nat says she was off her “dark path” in three months and getting her life back. Now as a mother and seasoned performer, she’s keen to speak out for those taking on the music industry. “Stay off drugs. Pray to a higher power and do what brings you joy and passion.”