Tulisa

by Sean Smith

Tulisa Contostavlos is the most remarkable new star in the country today. She was an eleven-year-old schoolgirl when her Uncle Byron offered her £20 to be the singer in a new band with son Dappy and his friend Fazer. She held out for £50 and started on a rollercoaster ride to fame that led to her becoming an 'overnight' sensation on The X Factor. Tulisa is the first biography of a girl determined to leave behind a life in which underage sex, smoking weed, drinking cider and bullying were the norm. Her love of music and an unswerving desire to make money, buy a house of her own and drive a sports car provided her with the incentive to escape. The UK's leading celebrity biographer, Sean Smith, has discovered that behind the tough exterior and dazzling smile is a funny, loyal and sensitive young woman. He has travelled to the leafy streets of fashionable Belsize Park in North West London to uncover the truth about her upbringing, her relationship with her musician father, who left home when she was nine, and the mother who abandoned a singing career because of ongoing mental health problems, and whom Tulisa says she loves 'with all my heart.'

He tells the story of N-Dubz and their mentor 'Uncle B', who tragically died on the threshold of their success. They rose to become one of the most popular bands in the UK without ever capturing a mainstream audience, but their American adventure ended in disappointment. Tulisa describes her failed love affairs, her mercurial relationship with controversial cousin Dappy, her bond with sometime boyfriend Fazer and a cast of characters including Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder and Mr Hudson, who make up the urban music scene she embraced. The book relives her X Factor triumph as mentor to the winners Little Mix, her feud with fellow judge Kelly Rowland, her fashion triumphs and disasters and her brave response to the online release of a sex tape.

Tulisa is the gripping and inspirational story of how a lonely and bullied young girl transformed herself into 'The Female Boss' - a

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Sean Smith is the UK’s leading celebrity biographer and the author of the number one bestseller Cheryl, as well as bestselling books about Tom Jones, Robbie Williams and Kate Middleton.

His books about the most famous people of our times has been translated throughout the world. His subjects include Adele, Kim Kardashian, Gary Barlow, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and J.K. Rowling. The film Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story was based on his biography of the Harry Potter author.

Described by the Independent as a ‘fearless chronicler’, he specialises in meticulous research, going ‘on the road’ to find the real person behind the star image.

Reviews

[Louise Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a massive of tulisa but remember seeing the documentary awhile back and just happened to have it i was interested in her battles with mental health especially with her mum as i have a friend with the same condition as her mum and have seen differences with her depending on her medication and her own battles herself were interesting i think alot of stars today it is alot of who u know more than raw talent but tulisa has showed really staying power !!!

[Marissa Damore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyd reading about Tulisa because I learned a lot about her as a person. I always picture celebrity's life so wonderful, but once I read the biography about Tulisa Contostavlos I learned that that't not always the case. When I started out reading this book, I didn't know one thing about Tulisa. She has a rough childhood. She had to struggle with the fact that her mom had a bipolar disorder and schizoaffctive disorder. She also experiance a lot going through high schol such as drugs, bullying, and depression. I like how this story shows how a girl can realy overcome all the bad in her life and grow into such a successful person. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the show X Factor and who would enjoy learning more about her life.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok, about her life growing up becoming a star makes you feel your not only one who had a bad start to life and you have a choice to make it better if you want it bad enough and keep at it.