Natasha Hamilton Opens Up About Perimenopause, Chronic Illness, and Financial Battles
Former pop sensation Natasha Hamilton, who rose to fame as a teenager with Atomic Kitten, has candidly shared the profound impact that early perimenopause and a chronic health diagnosis have had on her self-esteem, leaving her feeling “insecure and embarrassed.” The 43-year-old singer, a mother of five, revealed that the journey through these health challenges, coupled with significant financial struggles, has been one of the most difficult periods of her life.
Hamilton, who is married to Charles Gay and shares a two-year-old daughter, Kitty, with him, also has four older children from previous relationships: Josh (23), Harry (21), Alfie (15), and Ella (11). She confessed to The Mirror that just a year ago, she felt like she was “falling apart” and had “lost all confidence.” It was only after commencing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that she began to see a turnaround in her health.
Her lowest point, she revealed, occurred six months after the birth of her youngest daughter, Kitty. At the time, she was filming a music video while simultaneously battling thyroid issues and perimenopause. She described feeling heavier than she ever had and found the return to work incredibly challenging.
In a powerful moment of self-reflection, Hamilton recounted looking in the mirror and issuing a stern but loving command to herself: “Step into your power. You were a young, thin pop star, but that’s not you now. You’ve just had your fifth kid, you’ve been through life, you’ve had your battles and you look f***ing great. So what if you have cellulite?” This personal mantra marked the beginning of what she describes as an ongoing “journey” of self-acceptance.
Navigating Perimenopause and Hashimoto’s
The singer’s health struggles intensified after the birth of Kitty. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism. This means her thyroid is underactive and doesn’t produce enough hormones to regulate essential bodily functions like metabolism, energy levels, and mood.
Hamilton acknowledged the significant shift in her physical and mental state, stating, “The version of Natasha now is not what it was pre-Kitty.” In the initial months following Kitty’s birth, she experienced a profound sense of disconnect from herself, describing waking up in agony and finding it difficult to even get out of bed. Her cognitive functions also seemed to be affected, with a noticeable slowing of her recall and difficulty finding the right words.
This period of feeling “insecure and embarrassed” was compounded by another significant stressor: a substantial tax bill of £250,000. Hamilton revealed that during the peak of her early career, she was frequently offered credit cards, which led to her accumulating debt that she was still paying off into her thirties.
Financial Hardship and a Mental Breakdown
Last year was particularly tough for Hamilton, marked by what she termed the “tightest” 12 months of her life, following a previous “mental breakdown” over her finances. She shared with The Times that in her late teens and early twenties, credit cards were readily available, resulting in a significant financial burden later in life. At one point, she owed approximately £20,000.
The singer explained that she had “invested everything” into her record label, Morpho Records, in the past year, which inevitably led to a slower financial period. The emotional toll was immense, with Hamilton admitting to waking up “every day crying,” often prompted by her two-year-old daughter asking, “Why are you sad, Mummy?”
Hamilton’s financial woes didn’t begin recently. She recounted a pivotal moment after leaving Atomic Kitten in 2004 to address postnatal depression. At that time, she wasn’t “mentally and physically able” to continue the demanding work she once loved. However, the shock of a substantial tax bill exceeding £250,000 after her Atomic Kitten fame was “incredibly hard” to bear.
To manage this debt, she felt compelled to return to work prematurely, which had a severe impact on her mental health, culminating in a “mental breakdown.” The challenges continued to mount in 2007 when she “lost a hell of a lot of money in property” following the economic crash.
The singer and her husband are currently renting a property in Chester, having experienced a period of homelessness for seven months. This difficult phase saw them living in hotels and Airbnbs after they sold their last house and their new property’s mortgage hadn’t yet been finalised. “We sold our last house and ended up with no house because the mortgage on the new property hadn’t quite gone through. We ended up homeless for seven months,” Hamilton explained.
Further financial strain arose after her divorce from her first husband, Riad Erraji, in 2013, which left her with “nothing.” She has since learned valuable lessons and now diligently manages her finances, ensuring she pays off her credit card balances at the end of each month.
