Billie Piper has admitted she believes fame is “toxic” and “depressing” and that she has chosen to “act less and less” in the future.
The 40-year-old singer-turned-actress burst into the limelight at the tender age of 15 with her debut single ‘Because We Want’ but has now revealed she was let down by fame.
In a new interview with The Guardian, she described life in public as “awful,” “gross” and “gloomy,” adding that her “happiest” times were before stardom.
“It’s disgusting and such a dark thing!” Billie Piper has claimed fame is “toxic” and “depressing” while revealing she’ll be acting “less and less” in the future (pictured in 2021).
The ‘Doctor Who’ star said: “Fame is terrible. It’s disgusting. It’s such a dark thing. And it will alter your day-to-day experience of life in a way that, frankly, in my experience, is depressing. When I think of some of my happiest and freest times, most of them are before fame.
“It’s annoying because I love creating things. i love production The older I get the more I enjoy making things from scratch and I think I’ll probably do less and less acting in the future. i love what i do
“But I’m tired of all this nonsense. Since I was 19 to be honest. It felt pretty toxic from a young age. Now I’m so thankful I had those experiences a long time ago and now I can pretty much focus on the work and not the bulls**t.”
Tragic: The 40-year-old singer-turned-actress was thrust into the limelight at the tender age of 15 but has now revealed she was let down by fame (pictured in 1998)
Last year, Billie revealed that therapy has helped her cope with looking back at her early fame and her relationship to Britney Spears’ struggles.
She shared how she wasn’t able to see herself in her childhood music videos or hear her songs for many years, but now she can “lovingly” reflect on it.
Billie first appeared as a performer for Scratchy & Co aged 13 before releasing her debut single ‘Because We Want’ at 15, making her the youngest artist to ever top the UK Singles Chart Has.
Speaking to Grazia, she said: “For many years as a kid I couldn’t see myself in a music video or even hear my songs.
“But now I can, and I think about it more lovingly than ever. There are mixed feelings and honestly everything is a bit confused.
“I’ve forgotten a lot of that because I’ve never worked harder in my life than I did when I was that age. It makes sense to me that I don’t remember much.’
The star then revealed that Britney Spears’ recent conservatorship fight and struggles with fame were something she could “relate” to.
She explained that her time as a musician and also as a woman meant she dealt with “issues around scrutiny and misrepresentation,” before adding that a lot of women could probably relate to her, even if they weren’t famous.
How sad: In a new interview, she described life in public as “awful,” “gross” and “gloomy,” adding that her “happiest” times were before stardom
The mother-of-three has previously opened up about how she’s struggled with mental health issues similar to Britney’s.
Britney, 41, suffered a public breakdown in 2008 after checking out of rehab when she shaved her head and attacked paparazzi with an umbrella.
After finding fame as a pop star at the age of 15, Billie recalled how 18-hour days and a “lack of control” over everything had a very “negative impact” on her life.
Looking back on her early years, Billie shared how her tireless work 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 becoming really famous, being separated 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 changing so much emotionally and psychologically. When I think back to the life I lived as a kid, working an 18-hour day and not seeing my family, I see how it negatively impacted my life.”
Throwback: She said: ‘I’m sick of all this nonsense. Since I was 19 to be honest. It felt pretty toxic from a young age.