Natalie Imbruglia reveals ‘brutal’ life-changing diagnoses: ‘Felt like someone had taken some of my personality’

Natalie Imbruglia has opened up about receiving two life-changing health diagnoses within quick succession.

The Australian pop star, 51, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with both hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

She confessed that the effects of perimenopause had made her “really angry” and would contribute to her anxiety before performing.

Natalie Imbruglia has opened up about receiving two life-changing health diagnoses within quick succession. Jules Annan / BACKGRID

“You name it, there’s a sprinkle of it. They’re just labels. It’s not a negative, it’s my superpower,” she told The Sunday Times.

“But there’s a particular thing about my neurodiversity that’s hard for me to accept, which is how I get when I’m nervous before a show. Perimenopause made it worse.”

Imbruglia added, “Let’s just say it was a grieving process. I was really angry. I fell off a cliff. It felt like someone had taken some of my personality.”

Imbruglia is a single mother and welcomed son Max Valentine Imbruglia, six, solo via IVF and an anonymous sperm donor back in 2019.

She told the “How To Fail” podcast earlier this year that the experience was really difficult for her.

“It’s pretty brutal,” Imbruglia said. “The ‘two-week wait’ before finding out I was pregnant was really tough”.

“In fact, I remember when I found out I was pregnant, the one thing on my mind was every woman on the planet who was still waiting,” she said. “Oh, it makes me emotional.”

“You name it, there’s a sprinkle of it. They’re just labels. It’s not a negative, it’s my superpower,” Imbruglia told The Sunday Times. Jules Annan / BACKGRID

Meanwhile, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams announced this week that he’s being joined by Imbruglia for his forthcoming Australian tour.

She’ll no doubt be performing her smash hit single, Torn, which she released in 1997.

In the iconic music video, Imbruglia wore army pants and a casual zipped hoodie.

Years later, the singer has revealed the outfit wasn’t “in fashion,” and that she wore it due to insecurities about her body.

“The army pants weren‘t even cool army pants, they weren’t in fashion or anything,” Imbruglia told The Independent.

“My intention in wearing that was so that you couldn’t see my silhouette, because I didn’t want anyone to see. But it ended up that there was a power in that because it was like [seen as] androgyny cool.

“But it really came from a place of ‘Thank God I don’t have to wear a dress.’”