Lulu confirms she had sex with David Bowie in 1970s romance, details come to light in memoir
Singer describes a romantic bond with the late rock icon in excerpts from If Only You Knew, while discussing past fears and recovery in a busy year of touring
Lulu has confirmed for the first time that she had sex with David Bowie, describing a romance that unfolded in the 1970s after they met at a hotel in Sheffield. In excerpts from her forthcoming memoir If Only You Knew, the pop singer, now 76, says her memory of the night is hazy because she was slightly tipsy, but she emphasizes that their relationship wasn’t only about sex.
'You know what, I have never said 'Yes, I had sex with David Bowie' until now. This is the first time I’ve said it because I’ve always chosen not to speak about it. It was private. And if I’m 100% honest, which I have decided that’s what I’m going to be, I think I was slightly pissed. I can’t really remember.' 'Only to say that he got me there and we were in his room, and you know, we performed the acts and I don’t have to go into bloody details because I can’t actually remember details, but I wouldn’t share them anyway. I do have boundaries.' 'But the point is, I did and it was an incredible experience to work with a guy like that, to be in his orbit. He honoured me.' 'I’m only looking to be loved and to give love. And I don’t mean I want to have affairs and it’s about sex. It’s about a much deeper thing than that. And that was what we shared. I felt he saw me.'
The relationship reportedly began in the 1970s after they met at a Sheffield hotel, with Lulu saying the bond was meaningful beyond the physical and that Bowie treated her with respect and saw her as more than a passing liaison.
In passages published from If Only You Knew, Lulu also writes about her early fears around sex. She describes being afraid of intimacy in the era she came of age, noting that she would have preferred love and romance but felt self-conscious about sex. 'I wasn’t a fan. I was a musician. But the truth is, I was also afraid of sex. It had never been openly discussed in my home and Betty had made it seem almost shameful,' she writes. 'I wanted love, I wanted romance. I was just scared of the reality, so I spent my time wrapped up in fantasy, in love with the idea of love.' She notes that the experiences with Bowie occurred amid a broader life in which she hoped to be seen and valued beyond the stage.
On This Morning earlier this week, Lulu opened up about her struggles with alcoholism and recovery, discussing how the journey affected her family life. She described her father and the surrounding attitudes toward drinking, and she spoke about her sister’s support, noting that her sister is a psychotherapist. She described going to rehab after years of secrecy and revealed that she had her last drink in November 2013, a turning point in a long process of sobriety. She recalled telling her sister, 'I have to go to rehab,' and receiving encouragement that helped steer her toward help.
Lulu’s career, which began to surge in the 1960s with Shout, has continued to evolve as she promotes her memoir and ongoing touring. The Bowie connection adds a new, widely discussed chapter to a life that has long blended public performance with candid personal storytelling, underscoring the singer’s willingness to revisit private moments as part of a broader narrative about love, loss, and resilience.