Billie Piper has admitted she thinks fame is ‘toxic’ and ‘depressing’ and has decided to act ‘less and less’ in the future.
The singer-turned-actress, 40, was thrust into the limelight at the age of 15 with her debut single, Because We Want To, but has now revealed she was disappointed in fame.
In a new interview with The Guardian, she described life in the public eye as “awful”, “disgusting” and a “dark thing”, adding that her “happiest” moments came before fame.
“It’s disgusting and such a dark thing!” Billie Piper claimed the celebrity was ‘toxic’ and ‘depressing’ while revealing she would act ‘less and less’ in the future (pictured in 2021)
The Doctor Who star said: “Fame is awful”. It’s disgusting. It’s such a dark thing. And it will change your everyday experience of life in ways that are frankly depressing, in my experience. When I imagine some of my happiest and most free moments, most of them are before fame.
‘It’s boring because I like to create things. I love the manufacturing. As I get older I like to create things from scratch more and more and I think in the future I will play less and less. I like what I do.
‘But I’m tired of the absurdity of it all. To be honest, I’ve been since I was 19. It was quite toxic from an early age. Now I’m so thankful that I had those experiences a long time ago, and now I can pretty much focus entirely on the job, not the bulls**t.
Tragic: The singer-turned-actress, 40, was swept into the spotlight at the tender age of 15 but has now revealed she was disappointed in stardom (pictured in 1998)
Last year, Billie revealed that the therapy helped her cope with her early fame and her connection to Britney Spears’ struggles.
She shared how for many years she couldn’t watch herself in the music videos of her childhood or listen to her songs, but now she’s able to reflect on them “with fondness”.
Billie first appeared as a performer in Scratchy & Co aged 13 before releasing her debut single Because We Want To aged 15, which made her the youngest female artist ever. entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart.
Speaking to Grazia, she said: “For many years I couldn’t watch myself as a child in a music video, or even hear my songs.
“But I can now, and I think about it more fondly than I ever have. There are mixed emotions and, honestly, it’s all a bit confusing.
“I forgot a lot because I’ve never worked harder in my life than at that age. It makes sense to me that there’s not much I can remember.
The star then revealed that Britney Spears’ recent conservatorship battle and struggles with stardom was something she felt she could “identify with”.
She explained that her time as a musician and as a woman meant she dealt with “issues of control and misrepresentation”, before adding that a lot of women could probably identify with her even if they don’t. weren’t famous.
How sad: In a new interview, she described life in the public eye as ‘awful’, ‘gross’ and a ‘dark thing’, adding that her ‘happiest’ moments happened before fame
The mother-of-three has previously shared how she struggled with mental health issues similar to Britney’s.
Britney, 41, suffered a public breakdown in 2008 after leaving rehab, which saw her shave her head and attack paparazzi with an umbrella.
After rising to fame as a popstar aged 15, Billie recalled how working 18 hour days and having a “lack of control” over everything had a “very negative impact” on her life.
Looking back on her early years, Billie recounted how working tirelessly to become a music star took a toll on her mental health and eventually led to an eating disorder.
She explained: “I don’t know anyone who worked as hard as I did when I was 15.
“It was a combination of burnout, the trauma of getting really famous, being disconnected from my family, a lack of control in my life – hence the eating disorder.”
She continued, “I also felt like I was a teenager and changed so much emotionally and psychologically. When I think of the life I lived as a child, working an 18 hour day and never seeing my family, I see how negatively it impacted my life.
Looking back: She said: ‘I’m sick of the nonsense of it all. To be honest, I’ve had it since I was 19. It was quite toxic from a young age’ (pictured in 1999 )
