Lulu says new memoir felt ‘intense' as she opens up about going to therapy

South Wales Guardian

19-05-2025

The 76-year-old was discussing the importance of mental health support ahead of a sponsored walk for her new charitable fund, Lulu's Mental Health Trust.
She told the PA news agency: 'I've just completed writing my memoir, or an autobiography, whatever you want to call it, and it's been fairly intense, because I am 76 and being in the public eye, there's a lot of things I have not divulged.
'There's a lot of things I didn't feel comfortable talking about because, as a human being, I've had trials, I've had tribulations, I've had issues.'
Her new memoir, If Only You Knew, delves into her past and the singer, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie and also known as Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, said it has felt 'very cathartic'.
'There are things you don't know, and I'm going to talk about them, and it's really in order to help, but it's been very cathartic', she said.
'It is in order to maybe help someone else who's had a similar issue and they haven't dealt with it, or don't know how to, and I felt very alone in my head all my life, because I think I've been brought up to keep a lot of things secretive and keep it to myself, but that was my mother's (era) age.
'Today, things are more open, and if it can help, if you can relate to someone, it doesn't make you feel so alone. So that's part of the reason for doing the book.
'The other part is, I'm 76, I might not last much longer, and I've got grandchildren, and it's all documented, but it's been very cathartic for me.
'In fact, I had to go into therapy because it's been so intense. When you've kept stuff down, they (emotions) lodge in you. They lodge in your body somewhere.
'And sometimes they can affect your physical health, definitely your mental health. But to try and get them (those feelings) to come up, it's been intense.'
The music artist from Glasgow said she wanted to establish a mental heath trust as she and her family have experienced their own mental health issues.
On Monday, in aid of the trust, Lulu walked from the east London location where she filmed To Sir, With Love and finished at the old Decca Studios, where she recorded Shout – the song that saw her storm into the UK charts 60 years ago.
She has so far raised more than £15,000 for the cause through people sponsoring her for the walk.
The singer performed at Glastonbury Festival last year and embarked on her sell-out Champagne for Lulu tour, which she said was her last.
Her memoir is due to be released on September 25 2025. She will embark on a UK book tour four days later.