Image for Tulisa: My Mum and MeNot currently available on BBC iPlayer

Duration: 1 hour

Tulisa Contostavlos is best known for being the girl in the pop band N-Dubz, but she is also a carer for her mum who has suffered from a mental illness since before Tulisa was born. In this personal, authored documentary, Tulisa finds out what life is like for some of the 80,000 other young people in Britain caring for a parent with mental health problems.

Drawing on her own experiences, which included seeing her mum forcibly sectioned in psychiatric care when she was five years old, Tulisa explores the day-to-day realities of caring for a mentally ill parent and finds that the effects can be overwhelming and often endured with little outside support.

She discovers that there is help available, notably young carers groups where people can meet others in the same boat. Tulisa also looks into the difficult topic of heredity, asking whether her own hectic rock-star lifestyle is putting her at risk of developing an illness like her mum's.

Part of The Adult Season on BBC Three.

Last on

Tue 23 Aug 2011 23:30 BBC One

  • Photo: Tulisa

    Photo: Tulisa

    Tulisa is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known for being a member of the Camden-based hip-hop trio N-Dubz, with her cousin Dino "Dappy" Contostavlos and their friend Richard "Fazer" Rawson.

  • BBC Three blog

    BBC Three blog

    Head over to the BBC Three Blog to share your stories of becoming an adult.

    BBC Three Blog: What is an adult?

  • BBC Three

    BBC Three

    BBC Three presents extraordinary stories from the frontline of adulthood this summer with a host of new and returning programmes exploring the pressures on young people to grow up quickly, and what it means to be an adult.

    BBC Three: The Adult Season

  • BBC Headroom

    BBC Headroom

    If any of the issues in the programme have affected you, visit BBC Headroom for sources of support and practical advice about looking after your wellbeing.

    BBC Headroom: Tulisa: My Mum and Me

Credits

Production Manager
Cara Harding
Presenter
Tulisa Contostavlos
Director
Rowan Deacon
Producer
Rowan Deacon
Executive Producer
Samantha Anstiss
Executive Producer
Clare Paterson
Executive Producer
Hannah Wyatt
Assistant Producer
Therese Byrne

Broadcasts

See all broadcasts of Tulisa: My Mum and Me (14)

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