I’m a new Lucy
Former X Factor star on quitting alcohol, getting divorced and turning to exercise to help address her mental wellbeing
LUCY Spraggan has certainly not had an easy journey. After finding fame on The X Factor eight years ago, the singer-songwriter has been dealing with anxiety and depression.
At one point, she admitted to wondering “if I’d survive” – but now she is happily revealing what she describes as “a new Lucy”.
It’s a remarkable turnaround. She’s three stone lighter, super-fit and recently celebrated 10 months of sobriety.
“I was in a really bad place for a long time, but now I’m the person I never imagined I could be,” said the singer, whose sixth album, Choices, will be released in the autumn.
“I’m running every day, I’ve signed up for a marathon next year and train six days a week,” she said.
“It’s not just about the fitness – although that’s such an important part of my life now – it’s also that, mentally, I feel well and so much stronger. I’m happy within and without.”
The Sheffield-born singer – who wowed X Factor audiences before quitting the show early, citing illness and bereavement – has since carved an impressive career, releasing an album every two years.
Life away from music has been more challenging, though. Although it seemed she’d found personal happiness and stability when she married Georgina Gordon in 2016, last year the couple split.
“I had a pretty s**t time last year and all sorts of things sort of came to a head,” Lucy said. During their six years together, the couple shortterm fostered 12 children.
“The break-up is heartbreaking because she saved my life when we got together.
“I’d been going through all those tough times with my mental health and she was very caring and supportive of the work I did to get better. She’s a great person and made me a much better person and we’ve had amazing experiences together – fostering was wonderful. But I started going through a lot of changes and, sadly, the new me didn’t fit the relationship any more.”
Lucy’s most significant personal change happened last July when, during an American tour, she quit drinking.
She said: “I’d been on the road solidly for around six months and there was always drink around. I was in Las Vegas feeling quite fat and sad, and after a really big night out after a show, there was lots of drama and trouble.
“I woke up the next morning and suddenly had this overwhelming feeling, ‘I’m not going to drink anymore.’
“I got up and went for a run, something I’d never done before, and that’s how it started. It was a real turning point for me.”
And she doesn’t shy away from the term “alcoholic”.
She said: “I would say I’m an alcoholic in a very modern sense, in that, although I don’t wake up every morning and want a drink, when I drink, alcohol defines who I am.
“Now, I feel I can be the best version of myself without alcohol.”
Her fitness regime has seen Lucy drop from a size 16 to around a size eight but she says it’s not all about that, as exercise is crucial to her mental wellbeing.
She said: “While I used to drink to alleviate my anxiety – which was like pouring liquid depression onto the problem – now I’m able to calmly pinpoint what’s causing it. Then I run, lift weights, or do a skipping session, which boosts my mood and eases away negative, repetitive feelings.”