Natalie Imbruglia has disclosed that she received diagnoses of both ADHD and OCD during her middle years, describing the conditions as her “superpower.”
The 51-year-old Australian singer and actress spoke candidly about living with neurodiversity, acknowledging the challenges it presents despite her positive outlook.
“You name it, there’s a sprinkle of it. They’re just labels. It’s not a negative, it’s my superpower,” she explained to The Sunday Times.
However, the Torn hitmaker admitted that one aspect remains particularly difficult to accept: the intense anxiety she experiences before taking the stage.
Natalie Imbruglia shared that she received diagnoses of both ADHD and OCD
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“I’m in bliss when I’m on stage — that’s my happy place. Although that’s not how I feel five minutes before I go on, which is absolutely awful,” she revealed.
Ms Imbruglia revealed that perimenopause significantly exacerbated her symptoms, describing the experience in stark terms.
“Let’s just say it was a grieving process. I was really angry. I fell off a cliff. It felt like someone had taken some of my personality,” she told the publication.
The singer turned to television presenter and menopause campaigner Davina McCall for guidance as she grappled with feelings of anger and anxiety during this period.
Natalie Imbruglia in 1995
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She ultimately found relief through HRT creams to manage her symptoms.
Ms Imbruglia expressed gratitude that conversations around perimenopause and menopause are becoming more open, noting she is pleased the subject is no longer treated as “shameful or taboo.”
Perimenopause marks the transitional phase before menopause when hormone levels begin declining, often triggering symptoms such as hot flushes and irregular periods.
The singer also confessed to being a “late-night scroller,” admitting her phone addiction has led her down rabbit holes to “very dark places.”
Natalie Imbruglia candidly opened up about health struggles
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Her forthcoming sixth studio album, Algorithm, is scheduled for release on September 4 and marks her first record in five years.
The singer described it as the most enjoyable album she has worked on, drawing inspiration from artists including David Bowie, Robyn and David Byrne.
The lead single, Upside Down, dropped in April and features darker lyrical themes about struggling to find motivation, despite its upbeat sound.
One track includes the lyric “beast of my dreams,” which she clarified refers to her phone rather than a romantic interest, as the singer remains single.
Her iconic 1997 hit Torn reached one billion streams on Spotify last year.
Ms Imbruglia first rose to prominence playing Beth Brennan in the Australian soap Neighbours during the early nineties before launching her music career in 1997.
Her debut album Left Of The Middle shifted seven million copies worldwide, with Torn becoming an instant global phenomenon that topped the US Billboard charts for 11 consecutive weeks in 1998.
The track was recently featured in a Chanel show, and American pop star Olivia Rodrigo invited her onstage during a London concert.
In 2019, aged 44, Imbruglia welcomed her son Max via IVF using a sperm donor.
Speaking on the How To Fail podcast with Elizabeth Day, she pushed back against suggestions she had chosen solo motherhood over being with a partner.
“That’s absolute rubbish,” she said, explaining her biological clock had simply forced a decision.