'I'm not going to apologise for being good looking': Natalie Imbruglia on beauty, fame and becoming a British citizen
Torn singer Natalie Imbruglia tells how she was dragged from the brink of insanity – by going to drama school, feeling British ... and finally accepting that she’s beautiful
'It was pretty confusing to have people always asking about your appearance. The assumption was that I was where I was because of my looks. But now I’m 40 I’m totally over that,' said Natalie Imbruglia
Six years ago, Natalie Imbruglia took the bold decision to drop out of the music industry that had made her a star.
The Australian singer had won two Brit awards, been nominated for six Grammys and sold more than six million albums, yet she was known as much for her Audrey Hepburn looks, her famous boyfriends and an alleged relationship with Prince Harry as she was for massive hits such as Torn and Shiver, not to mention her previous acting role in Neighbours. The success, and the attention that came with it, she says, ‘nearly sent me insane’.
‘I just needed a break,’ she says. ‘I needed to find out some things about myself and get out of thinking, “Next”. Sometimes the most empowering word is “No”.’
The sabbatical seems to have had the desired effect. Today she readily reels off her reasons to be cheerful: her delight at becoming a British citizen and being able to call London home; the freedom she found in retraining as an actress in Los Angeles; and the close friends she has made during her time here, including David Walliams and Holly Branson.
But before that dawn she experienced the dark side of fame – in particular the body dysmorphia that plagued her 20s.
I remember the time I interviewed her when she worried about looking fat in a pair of size-eight jeans.
She had just divorced from controversial ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns after a five-year marriage and says now: ‘I was not in a good place.’
‘There was always so much focus on the way I looked. If I see photographs of myself in my 20s I can see in my eyes that I’m trying to look like I’m having a good time,' said Natalie (pictured in 2005)
Johns, with his trademark eye-liner, is a massive star in Australia, known for his outspoken remarks about animal rights, experimenting with drugs and suffering from depression and anorexia. The divorce clearly left its mark.
‘I was going through some sort of body dysmorphia and it wasn’t good.’ She pauses.
‘There was always so much focus on the way I looked. If I see photographs of myself in my 20s I can see in my eyes that I’m trying to look like I’m having a good time, but I was basically really conscious of having to step up.
'It was pretty confusing to have people always asking about your appearance. The assumption was that I was where I was because of my looks.
‘But now I’m 40 I’m totally over that. I’m not going to apologise any more for being good-looking.
'My mum and dad are attractive people, that’s just how it is. All the focus on your looks just sends you insane.’
Imbruglia surfed into Britain more than two decades ago on the same sunny wave that brought Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, then Kylie’s little sister Dannii as well as actor Guy Pearce.
Her 1997 debut single, Torn, sold one million copies in the UK and was No 1 around the world. Her first album, Left Of The Middle, went platinum less than three weeks after its release.
Yet her decision to take a break from the music industry at the height of her fame was, to her, quite a simple matter.
‘I think you get into a pattern in life where everything seems mapped out. Someone says, “Now you’re going to start recording the next album,” and you do it. But I had got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying it.
'I was jaded. I needed to take the foot off the pedal and do something different, something I really wanted to do. I didn’t feel I was taking a risk, I actually felt I was taking control. To me it was just very exciting to have time out and do something different.’
'I’m at a good stage in my life. I’m not jaded. I’m happy. I’m excited about the future,' she said (pictured performing at the Danube Island Festival, Vienna, in June)
In the six years she has been away, Imbruglia has explored new paths. She was an X Factor judge in the Australian version of the show and spent two years in Los Angeles studying with renowned U.S. drama teacher Ivana Chubbuck.
‘People didn’t know who I was and that was great for me,’ she says. ‘I didn’t go in there saying, “I’ve done this, I’ve done that.”
‘If anything, the older you get, the more you become conscious of how difficult things are.
'When I did Neighbours I was 16. I had this extraordinary confidence. I used to tell people I was going to be a big star.
'I was this kid who knew nothing with absolute confidence, and the irony is, when you get success, that confidence gets knocked out of you.
‘I wanted to push myself, to go back to school, to be a student. The first acting workshop we did I was physically shaking.
'I didn’t need to tell everyone in the class how nervous I was – they could all see it. But that’s what made us all really bond.
‘I rented an apartment, went to class, ate in the cafeteria with the other students, bought my meals at Whole Foods.
'Dating has changed a lot since I was last single. I’m hopeful I’ll meet a guy,’ said Natalie
'The thing I loved most was the friendships. I’d sit around for hours just talking with friends on my course. It was a time I’d never had before.
'I got to be a proper student after working all my life since I was a teenager.
'I’ve never been someone with a plan – the only plan I have is to be happy in life.’
Being in the UK makes her happy. She has lived here most of her adult life. She loves the culture, the history and the architecture. She says her decision to become a British citizen in 2013 was a momentous event.
‘I took the test, which involves learning a hell of a lot about English history, politics, and I can answer any question on the suffragette movement. I pledged my allegiance to the Queen and when I got my British passport I had a party to celebrate.
'It was important for me to do it and I was determined because I love this country.
'I’m still an Aussie girl but Britain is part of who I am. Britain has been good to me – I have roots and history here and a lot of really close friends.
‘I feel very British – I love afternoon tea and crumpets, and running in Hyde Park. I’ve had many a pint in many a pub all over the country.
‘I came here when I was 18. I lived in London and went through all the money I’d made on Neighbours pretty quickly and had to work really hard to get a chance here.
'I feel I’ve grown up here. I love the Royal Family, I love the theatre [she appeared in an Alan Ayckbourn play, Things We Do For Love, in Bath last year] and my absolute dream would be to do Shakespeare – maybe a comedy.’
At 40, Imbruglia seems infused with a serenity that was always missing in the past. At the height of her fame she never quite seemed to be enjoying the ride. Dressed down in grungy clothes, she was defensive in interviews and harsh on herself.
It was her marriage, she thinks now, that made her so unhappy.
Imbruglia’s new album, Male, is a collection of songs made famous by male artists, on which she has put her own spin.
It is an eclectic mix of songs including Daft Punk’s Instant Crush, Damien Rice’s Cannonball and Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart.
‘These are all songs that have either touched me or helped me through various emotional processes in life – love lost, hopes and dreams.
'It’s always interesting to hear a woman’s voice on a song people associate with a man. It shifts the perspective – it’s just a little bit different. For me as a way of coming back to music, singing songs I love, it was a gift.’
She is currently single, though she says: ‘I would like to have kids. I’d like to meet someone.
'I’m at a good stage in my life. I’m not jaded. I’m happy. I’m excited about the future.’
She jokes, however, repeatedly about going on the dating website Tinder.
‘Dating has changed a lot since I was last single,’ she smiles. ‘I’m hopeful I’ll meet a guy.’
So far she hasn’t posted a photo, but if she does, those looks will ensure she gets more hits than most.
Natalie Imbruglia’s new album, ‘Male’, is out on Aug 21 via Portrait/Sony Music Masterworks
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3179879/Natalie-Imbruglia-m-not-going-apologise-good-looking.html#ixzz3hbkUWApu
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