'I had such shame' Lulu opens up about her alcoholism and suspicions her ex-husband fathered a secret son

She might be famous for her song Shout, but Lulu is more than happy to just talk these days - and she’s talking about it all. Without shame.

From her battles with alcoholism and the reason why she felt she had to be more open about her own struggles, to her suspicions that Maurice Gibbs - her ex-husband of four years and Bee Gees member - might have fathered a secret son, no topic is off limits.

Lulu, 77, is making the rounds as she promotes a special one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall, during which the star spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast where she revealed a son was "100 percent Maurice’s" - but she isn’t sure if her ex fathered him during their four-year marriage.

On the podcast, Lulu revealed she had "just found out" that her ex, who died in 2003, fathered a previously unknown son. She said, "I think he’s got a son. It might have happened when we were married. I just found out."

She added, "Someone showed me something and I can’t remember the year… He impregnated this girl after a one-night stand and he has a son who has had his genes taken. It’s proven. He’s 100 per cent Maurice’s."

Lulu didn’t allude to any more details, but, per the Telegraph, in 2017 a man named Nick Endacott went public with claims that he was the love child of Maurice Gibb and a studio manager.

He claimed that his mother was Patti Nolder, and she met Maurice in 1960s London.

In 2019, Mr Endacott stated that he had also sent a saliva swab to Ancestry.com and claimed that his DNA was a perfect match with Maurice's son, Adam.

Lulu also stopped by Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, March 18, where she spoke more about the work her charity does, and opened up on the personal reasons for her work on the subject of mental health.

She told hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid, "I realised how much mental health has impacted my whole family, because I'm an alcoholic in recovery and I haven't had a drink since 2013".

"I've started to talk about stuff that I never spoke about before because I had a lot of shame or my mother told me don't do your dirty washing in public. So, I was driven by that."

"But today, young people are so good at sharing. And I think when you share intelligently and lovingly, you might be able to help somebody else who maybe doesn't want to talk about their issues."

The singer has addressed her alcoholism in the past, previously telling The Times, "I was a secret drinker... It's a family illness. The gene is there."

She added, "The thing about drink is that you become the worst part of who you really are. You can be happy and singing and having fun but that doesn’t last. If you keep drinking, you can become morose. We can become angry."

"I worked so hard to understand this. I finally understood it’s an illness that messes with everything. So I know it sounds perverse, but I’m glad I’m an alcoholic and that I’m in recovery."

Lulu on using her struggles with drink and mental health to help others - YouTube

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When asked about her tips for anyone struggling with alcohol addiction, Lulu offered up that going to meetings is the best thing.

And when asked how she’s doing herself, she candidly revealed, "Well, to be honest with you, I've upped my meetings because I'm finding there's I've got so much going on".

She cited "personal responsibilities" and "mortality issues" as factors that have inspired her to seek out more help lately.

While she has largely retired from touring, her work with mental health is what’s encouraged her to host one night at the Royal Albert Hall, where she’ll be joined by the likes of Take That and Boy George, raising money for her charity, ‘Lulu’s Mental Health Trust’.