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Natalie Imbruglia reveals health diagnosis saying she feels 'absolutely awful' before performing

Natalie Imbruglia has opened up about her hidden battle with ADHD and OCD, which leave her feeling 'nervous' and 'awful' before the chart topper walks on stage

[Natalie Imbruglia admits feeling 'awful' before going on stage]

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Natalie Imbruglia admits feeling 'awful' before going on stage(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Natalie Imbruglia has revealed that two hidden health conditions leave her feeling "awful". Publicly, the Australian singer and actress appears to have it all, but behind closed doors, it's a very different tale for the 51-year-old.

In recent years, the number of adults diagnosed with conditions such as ADHD, autism, and OCD has rocketed due to more testing available, compared to several decades ago.

Natalie is one of thousands of adults who were diagnosed later in life. And for the singer-songwriter and actress, while many would see such a condition as a negative label, she believes it's her superpower. However, it does present some issues for the star.

[Natalie Imbruglia has opened up about the effects of both ADHD and OCD]

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Natalie Imbruglia has opened up about the effects of both ADHD and OCD(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ger)

[The singer and actress was diagnosed in her midlife]

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The singer and actress was diagnosed in her midlife(Image: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

"I'm in bliss when I'm on stage that's my happy place," she said in a new interview. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Natalie went on to add: "Although that's not how I feel five minutes before I go on, which is absolutely awful."

Natalie was diagnosed with both ADHD and OCD in her midlife. She went on to add: "You name it, there's a sprinkle of it. They're just labels. It's not a negative, it's my superpower.

"But there's a particular thing about my neurodiversity that's hard for me to accept, which is how I get when I'm nervous before a show. Perimenopause made it worse."

While going through her perimenopause struggles, Natalie turned to Davina McCall, who was on hand to offer advice as she battled with "anger and anxiety". She managed her symptoms with HRT creams and admits she's glad that the topic is becoming less taboo and "shameful" now.

Despite finding fame as an actress, playing Beth Brennan on Neighbours, she later became a global hit. Her song, Torn, released in 1997, topped the US Billboard charts for 11 consecutive weeks in 1998.

And last year, it reached one billion streams on Spotify. But to this day, Natlaie admits she struggles to find the words to talk about the track's success, only that it changed her life.

Aged just 22 when Torn was released, the singer's life is very different nowadays. And she's still as popular as ever, not just with Gen X and millennials, but also with Gen Z. So popular that American singer Olivia Rodrigo invited her on stage at a gig in London and Torn was also used in a recent Chanel show.

Natalie is now preparing for her first album in five years, Algorithm, which she says is the record she's had the most fun working on. For her record, it's heavily inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Robyn and David Byrne pop to its core, but with deeply moving personal lyrics.

One lyric in particular, "beast of my dreams," could be about a man, but it's not Natalie is very much single. Instead, it's about a phone. Natalie is a self-confessed "late-night scroller," joking that she's addicted to her phone at night and ends up down rabbit holes that lead to "dark places".

The lead single, Upside Down, released in April despite its upbeat melody, features dark lyrics, with Natalie admitting she found herself unable to muster the motivation to power through.

Algorithm is available to pre-order now ahead of its release on September 4.

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