Tulisa has revealed she identifies as “demisexual” during a frank discussion about her personal life in the I’m a Celeb jungle.
The N-Dubz star and former X Factor judge is one of 10 stars who’ve just arrived in Australia to compete on the ITV series. During a break from daily trials, campmates took turns talking about dating, with Tulisa discussing her celibacy.
Tulisa said that she has largely avoided dating apps, beyond a brief attempt at using Raya, a private members’ app aimed at celebrities and high-profile personalities. “Even though I’ve been on there, I’ve never gone on an actual date with anyone on there,” she explained. “I’m proper guarded.”
She then added: “I feel like I’m demisexual, I need to have a really close emotional bond with someone … I need actual depth. I’m a slow, slow burner. I’ve been celibate for over three years.”
Demisexuality falls on the spectrum of asexuality, and means having absolutely no sexual attraction to a person unless a strong emotional connection has first been formed.
It is unclear how many people in the world identify as demisexual, but the term is believed to have been coined in 2006 on a web forum devoted to asexuality. According to the 2021 British census, just 0.06 per cent of people in the UK identify as asexual.
Also during the discussion, Tulisa’s fellow campmate Dean McCullough, a radio DJ, asked what it has meant for her to be celibate.
“I’m not an overly sexualised person,” Tulisa explained. “For me, it’s all about the connection and the emotions that I feel with someone and then wanting to express them in that way.” She added that it makes her feel “physically sick” to imagine sleeping with or dating someone she doesn’t have a connection with. “This is my temple, you cannot enter!”
Riffing on Tulisa’s statement, campmate Alan Halsall – of Coronation Street fame – joked: “It sounds like a Bushtucker Trial where you’ve gotta find a key to Tulisa’s temple!”
During Monday’s show (18 November), Tulisa – who is speculated to be earning between £150,000 and £200,000 for her appearance on the series – explained the surprising origin of her former band’s name.
The star is not currently expected to win the show overall, with current bookies’ odds favouring a number of her campmates for victory, including McFly’s Danny Jones.
