X Factor hopeful Kayleigh Taylor has admitted she once “chose drugs and alcohol” over her children.
The 28-year-old said she auditioned for X Factor in a bid to improve her life after her spiralling consumption of narcotics left her £15,000 in debt.
Read more: Katie Price fears she’s heading for a ‘breakdown’ after triple whammy of heartbreak
In a candid interview with the Liverpool Echo, the aspiring singer said she’s been clean for two months after seeking help for her problem.
She said: “It got to the point where I was choosing alcohol and drugs over my children, I was putting it before my children.”
Kayleigh told the paper she funded her habit by taking out payday loans, buying bits and pieces on interest free credit schemes to flog on Facebook, or lying to loved ones about needing a loan to pay bills.
She said she’d even lie to her boyfriend about where she was in order to nip out and meet her dealer.
“One time I got a £1,000 loan, and my partner came home from work, I lied about where I was going. I told him I was going to do a gig,” she said.
“I got that off my face, he packed his stuff and he left me.
“I was that hungover and ill I never took my child to school the next day. It has affected everyone’s lives.”
Kayleigh is now clean but admitted it is an everyday “battle” to stay sober and she wanted to speak out to raise awareness of addiction.
She auditioned for X Factor in a bid to better her and her children’s lives – and impressed the judges during her first audition, sailing through to the next round.
The brunette also made headlines when she described herself as a Vicky Pollard lookalike and revealed she has judge Simon Cowell’s name tattooed on her back.
Off-camera, however, she’s found herself embroiled in controversy after having to apologise for an offensive message she posted in 2010.
The comments, to a former school friend, including telling her to “move back to her own country”.
She said sorry for the message and admitted she’d be “disgusted” if her children used language like she had done.
“If my children used language like that I’d be horrified,” she said.
“If I heard someone say that to my daughter I’d kick off. It’s disgusting. It’s embarrassing. I’ve apologised but it’s not been accepted.”
Read more: Simon Cowell cringes after making huge error during X Factor audition
Kayleigh is now pleading with the public to look beyond her past.
She tweeted on Saturday: “Look everybody, I can’t change my pass and I wish I could. I am not that person no more I wish you cud look pass that (sic).”