N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos has revealed the real reason as to why she agreed to take part in the show this year – as critics claim it’s merely a “career move”.
Contostavlos will join the likes of Alan Halsall, Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones, Oti Mabuse, Melvin Odoom and GK Barry.
As they leave their luxuries behind and begin the three-week journey, only one will come out on top and be crowned either King or Queen of the Jungle.
With the competition kicking off tonight, Contostavlos opened up about why she joined the show and admitted she wears her heart “on my sleeve”.
She said: “I wear my heart on my sleeve, especially when I am getting to know people and it’s coming from a friendly place – so I will be loaded up with stories!
“My number one mission is to be my true authentic self. If me being my authentic self connects with people in a mass way, then it must mean I’m doing something right in life.
“But I am not going to go looking for it. This isn’t a career move for me either. I will always go back to N-Dubz and this is a one-off experience.”
Last year, the Playing with Fire singer touched on how “wild” and “ridiculous” the music industry was and revealed she was leaving showbiz as a whole.
She told Ferne Cotton on her Happy Place podcast: “I’m through most of it. I’ll be out in two years.
“I’m going into property… I am actually going to build some themed rentals. So I’m like a super fantasy geek, all things like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones.
Tulisa Contostavlos admitted to wearing her heart on her sleeve
“And I’ve always wanted to get into the property game. But I was also like, there’s some parts of it that can be a little bit mundane.
“So yeah, at the minute I’m looking for land, I want it to all be very kind of like a nature reserve, you know, cabins in a forest, Hagrid’s huts and Hobbit houses. So, yeah, that’s my plan for 2024.”
Contostavlos rose to fame with her cousin Dino “Dappy” Contostavlos and friend Richard “Fazer” Rawson.
The hip-hop trio won five Mobo awards, a Brit Award nomination, and 14 top 40 singles over the years.
Their first album – Uncle B – was released in 2008 and they later embarked on their first headline tour.
The band performed their final gig together in September 2011 – before the end of their decade-long hiatus in 2023.
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Tulisa Contostavlos found her fame whilst in the group N-Dubz
PA
During their break, Contostavlos embarked on her solo career, which also saw her replace Cheryl Cole as a judge for the eighth series of The X Factor.
At the age of 23, she was and remains the youngest ever judge on the panel and mentored Little Mix through their win.