Overview

• Lulu, 76, publicly disclosed her alcoholism in a Times interview, saying she is now in recovery.
• She first admitted losing control of her drinking to her sister at her 65th birthday, then spent six weeks in rehab and now attends AA.
• Counsellors traced her dependence to a violent childhood, and she was diagnosed with complex PTSD during treatment.
• She says her drinking worsened in her sixties after menopause, her parents’ deaths and an empty nest, with even friends in recovery unaware of the problem.
• Her disclosure precedes the 25 September release of her memoir If Only You Knew and aligns with her new mental-health trust to reduce stigma.