Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton breaks down as she talks about “grief” on pub-based Keep It Grief podcast
Singer sheds tears about losing her gran, her son joining the army at 16 and speaks out about toxic fame
Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton breaks down in tears on a popular podcast as she talks about grief, the loss of her gran, and what she describes as a “toxic” celebrity lifestyle which made her feel like she was going ”insane”.
Natasha also discussed the deep sense of grief she felt after her teenage son left home to join the army, admitting she “cried the whole way home” after dropping him off.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Keep It Grief podcast, Hamilton becomes emotional as she described the sudden separation from her son at just 16, and the impact it had on her as a mother.
“I cried the whole way home. I couldn’t stop crying,” she said.
Describing the experience, she said it felt like a form of loss, despite her son still being alive. “You’re losing them… and you can’t speak to them for six weeks.”
Hamilton said the moment brought a new understanding of grief beyond bereavement.
“One minute you are their world and the next minute they’re gone,” she said. “I’ve experienced that loss and that grief of losing a child.”
The singer also broke down as she recalled the moment she was told her grandmother had died, describing it as one of the most powerful memories of her childhood.
Hamilton said she had been singing at Anfield just hours earlier at a Hillsborough memorial concert, before returning home to devastating news.
“I’ve never seen my dad cry… ever,” she said. “He said ‘she’s gone’… and he broke down crying.”
The emotional memory overwhelmed her during the interview, as she struggled to continue speaking.
“I can’t even…” she said, as she became visibly upset.
Hamilton said the experience left a lasting impression, particularly seeing her father show such raw emotion for the first time.
The interview also explores her struggles with postnatal depression at the height of her fame, as well as the lasting impact of intense media scrutiny during her early career.
“I thought I’d gone insane,” she admitted.
Hamilton said she often lay awake through the night unable to sleep, overwhelmed by anxiety and pressure.
“I wouldn’t have slept a wink… I catastrophised everything.”
She also revealed that she did not fully understand what she was going through at the time.
“No one believed a word that I was saying,” she said.
Keep It Grief, hosted by commercial radio host Jonny Meah and Neil Collins and which is sponsored by The Estate Registry, explores real-life experiences of grief in all its forms, from bereavement to life transitions and emotional loss.
All weekly episodes are available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube here.