Where is lucy spraggan now

I was going to call it Zero, as in starting from zero, but it felt too much like an ending. Then I lost all the festivals I was booked for. I lost hundreds of thousands of pounds. It matters in a commercial sense. I get bums on seats so, for me, a record props up touring. I got scouted by a very pretty girl who saw a show I did. I was the support act and I got an encore.

It primarily came from stopping drinking. I feel really strong and able as a result, and confident in myself. People are all built differently and a relationship I have is very different and far more open. We fostered children. I was as seasoned as you can be at that age but nothing can prepare you for that phenomena.

It is a total whirlwind. And fame is pointless when you need to sell tickets to a show. As you see on the TV show, TV is very different to the music industry. You might be on the TV all the time but not be able to sell tickets in London. To get that longevity is great.

You develop and your music gets better. Spraggan has reached the grand age of, erm, 29, and has hit levels of maturity that had previously eluded her.

Any regrets? Feature Writer andyrichardson1. Feature writer and food critic Andy Richardson interviews celebrities, writes columns and hangs out with chefs for stories that appear across all group titles. Subscribe to our daily newsletter! Sign Up. She's three stone lighter, super fit and impressively toned thanks to a dedicated fitness regime, and recently celebrated 10 months of sobriety.

I'm happy within and without, and that's a really great new feeling for me. The Sheffield-born singer — who wowed X Factor audiences before quitting the show early, citing illness and bereavement — has since carved an impressive career, releasing an album every two years.

All, bar her debut album, have made the top 20 and she's performed twice at Glastonbury. Life away from music has been more challenging though. Although it seemed she'd found personal happiness and stability when she married Georgina Gordon in last year the couple split. During their six years together, the couple short-term fostered 12 children. She's a great person and made me a much better person, and we've had amazing experiences together — fostering was wonderful.

But I started going through a lot of changes and sadly the new me didn't fit the relationship any more. Spraggan's most significant personal change happened last July, when during an overseas tour in America, she quit drinking completely. I was in Las Vegas feeling quite fat and sad, and after a really big night out after a show, there was lots of drama and trouble," she recalls.

It was a real turning point for me. Since then, I literally run everywhere I can. I think people are really scared of saying that word because it's heavy, but I would say I'm an alcoholic in a very modern sense, in that although I don't wake up every morning and want a drink — when I drink, alcohol defines who I am," she says.