My battle with Bell’s palsy, by Tulisa

SHE has endured years of abuse over her appearance. Now singer and former X Factor judge Tulisa has revealed that she suffers from the neurological disorder Bell’s palsy, which causes her face to appear distorted at times.

The condition can cause temporary facial paralysis and swelling, leaving sufferers unable to control their face.

The musician, whose full name is Tulisa Contostavlos, said she suffered her first attack after a horse riding accident fractured her skull.

‘I do suffer from Bell’s palsy,’ she said on ITV’s Loose Women yesterday. ‘There’s been times people have criticised me for the way I look

and my face, not knowing that I’m going through a Bell’s palsy attack.

‘I think the first attack I had was after a serious horse-riding accident and I fractured my skull and it caused a lot of nerve damage.’

Talking about dealing with attacks, which have lasted up to seven months, she said: ‘At any time, I have emergency steroids on me, and now luckily I know how to manage it, so the attacks don’t last as long.’

She added: ‘If you have steroids within a 72-hour period, it can last days instead of seven months, which happened to me the first time. I was hiding in the house.’ Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie revealed in 2017 that she was diagnosed with the condition and uses acupuncture to relieve the symptoms.

Tulisa, 31, said she has grown a tough skin after years of ‘personal’ online abuse.

She said ‘some of the comments would be too harsh for daytime television,’ as she revealed that trolls have targeted her about her uncle’s death and her mother’s mental health.

‘I’ve had the experience to get a tough skin and what worries me is that there are so many young people who don’t have that experience,’ she said.