Michelle Heaton 'accepted' her life was over

Michelle Heaton "accepted" her life was over at the height of her alcohol addiction.

The Liberty X singer spent years battling a drinking problem before checking into rehab in 2021 to receive help and the pop star has now revealed she was convinced booze would eventually kill her so she had given up on life.

In a post on Instagram to mark World Mental Health Day this week, Michelle shared a picture of herself looking sad and bleary-eyed and wrote: "Today is world mental health day. Unfortunately, I have hundreds of photos like this. Never shown, never seen, during a long battle with addictions and trauma.

"I will continue to share my story because it matters. It matters because there will always be someone out there suffering like I was. Someone who can’t ask for help … yet . Someone who can’t stop drinking or taking drugs … yet. Someone who has lost people they loved. Someone who can’t see the way out of that dark, horrible, tortured place.

"In this photo, in my eyes, I can see I gave up. I had accepted my life was over and if I continued I would surely die. I had one moment, one tiny pause in it all where I asked for help."

Michelle went on to add: "Help was there, I couldn’t see or accept it before then. 3 1/2 years later I only want those in pain to have that moment for themselves.

"There is a solution, you can recover. It is possible to live a life without fear and misery ... I promise. For more information on addictions visit www.aa.org."

Michelle has been sober since her spell in rehab and she previously credited the treatment centre with saving her life because her alcohol addiction ravaged her body and left her with serious medical complications.

She told Closer magazine: "Rehab saved my life – after my medical examination there, they told me I’d have been dead within days if I hadn’t got help.

"I’m still on medication to help my pancreas function as it’s been completely destroyed.

"Recovery is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but my fight to keep sober is something I’ll do every day for the rest of my life."