Singer Opens Up About Midlife Diagnoses
Natalie Imbruglia has shared a deeply personal insight into her mental health, revealing she has been diagnosed with both ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) later in life.
The Australian singer-songwriter, best known for her global hit Torn, said the diagnoses helped explain many of the challenges she had experienced over the years. Rather than viewing them as setbacks, however, she now sees them as part of who she is.
“You name it, there’s a sprinkle of it,” she said. “They’re just labels. It’s not a negative, it’s my superpower.”
Still, the 51-year-old admitted one aspect of her neurodiversity continues to be difficult to manage—especially in the moments before stepping on stage.
How Perimenopause Made Everything Harder
As she prepares to release her sixth studio album, Algorithm, in September and return to performing at festivals, Imbruglia said anxiety before live shows has become increasingly overwhelming.
She revealed that perimenopause significantly intensified those emotions, leaving her feeling unlike herself.
“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.”
Reflecting on that period of her life, she described it as an emotional loss.
“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.”
The singer said conversations with menopause advocate Davina McCall helped her better understand what she was experiencing, particularly the anger and anxiety that accompanied the hormonal changes.
She eventually found relief through hormone replacement therapy (HRT) creams and welcomed the fact that discussions around menopause are becoming more open and less burdened by stigma.
A New Chapter, But Not Without Fear
Despite embracing this new phase of her life and career, Imbruglia admitted her neurodiversity still affects her confidence before every performance.
While audiences see a seasoned performer, she said the internal battle often begins long before she walks on stage.
Even so, she has chosen to reframe her diagnoses—not as limitations, but as strengths that have shaped both her creativity and resilience.
Setting the Record Straight About Becoming a Solo Mum
The interview follows comments Imbruglia made last month addressing long-standing assumptions surrounding her decision to become a solo mother.
The singer welcomed her son, Max, in 2019 after undergoing IVF with the help of a sperm donor at the age of 44.
She said she had been deeply hurt by suggestions that she intentionally chose motherhood instead of a relationship.
“I think it’s really interesting that people framed it as though I’d chosen this over being with a man,” she said.
“That wasn’t the case at all.”
Imbruglia explained that the decision came as she confronted the reality of her biological clock rather than a rejection of traditional family life.
She said advances in fertility treatment gave her an opportunity previous generations of women simply did not have.
‘IVF Was Pretty Brutal’
Imbruglia also spoke candidly about the emotional and physical toll of IVF, describing the experience as far more difficult than she had anticipated.
She urged women considering fertility treatment to educate themselves, ask questions and seek support from others who have experienced the process.
“There’s a lot that I didn’t know or understand,” she said. “There’s a lot of trauma involved that someone could have prepared me for.”
One of the hardest moments, she explained, was the anxious two-week wait between embryo transfer and pregnancy results.
When she eventually learned she was pregnant, her thoughts immediately turned to women still enduring that uncertainty.
“That still makes me emotional,” she admitted.
She also highlighted the emotional crash that can follow unsuccessful treatment cycles, saying many women are unprepared for the psychological impact once hormone medication suddenly stops.
Rather than facing IVF alone, Imbruglia encouraged women to lean on trusted friends and support networks throughout the journey.
From ‘Torn’ to a Lasting Legacy
Imbruglia first found fame as Beth Brennan on Neighbours before launching an international music career in 1997.
Her debut album Left of the Middle sold more than seven million copies worldwide, while Torn became one of the defining pop songs of the late 1990s.
She later expanded into acting, appearing alongside Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English and starring in films including Closed for Winter, Underdogs and Among Ravens.
Now preparing to release Algorithm, Imbruglia is entering another chapter of her career with a renewed sense of self—one shaped by hard-earned resilience, greater understanding of her mental health and a willingness to share experiences she once kept private.
