When Rebecca Ferguson came second in the 2010 series of The X Factor, the future seemed bright. Despite not winning the competition– Matt Cardle won that year – her soulful voice, style and beauty meant that a rise to stardom seemed inevitable. Early signs showed promise, and she has remained a presence in the industry for years through gigs and TV appearances, but if you’ve ever wondered why she never fulfilled her global pop potential, we may now have an answer. Today, Rebecca has continued to prove herself as one of the most honest and unapologetically frank women in music by tweeting a dossier of claims which, if true, speak to enormous failings in the way the industry treats young women in particular. Some of these claims have been aired before, and will likely be revisited in a documentary that Rebecca is currently working on.
‘I was forced into a contract despite running away from the solicitor and insisting I did not want to sign,’ she began. She did not name those who she alleged behaved in this way.
‘I lived on limited food a day. I was told when I could eat and drink. I was allowed three hours of sleep per night! I was placed on a constant course of antibiotics because my body was so run down...
‘Calls to my children were limited. If they called me, staff were told not to tell me or to ignore! My personal relationships were dictated. Staff were told to ruin my relationships or face being sacked!' Rebecca has three children: Karl, Lillie-Mae and Arabella.
'I was told that I have to do as I’m told because of the money I make! I was placed on sleeping pills and pain medication. If I collapsed due to extreme exhaustion an ambulance would not be called...
‘When I lost a baby I begged for time off. I was told no! I was classed as unfit to fly [in an] airplane however my team asked me to fake looking well so that the airline would allow me to fly!...
She has discussed this miscarriage previously. In May of this year, Rebecca revealed that she had lost a baby early on in her music career, but claimed that she was 'forced to work through' the heartache.
'My team were told by doctors if I did not rest I would be permanently disabled! I was not allowed to have cancerous cells removed: my team said there is no time to because I needed ten days [of] recovery!
'When my mother was very ill and I needed to go home I was told “when we tell you to do something you do as we f**king say” I was forced to have intense media training so that I never said anything negative: it was like being brainwashed...
'I had my company files stolen and a lot of money stolen so that I could not fight against them. Witnesses heard them say “We need to crush her spirit”...
'They employed 7ft men to look after me and said it was because they wanted me to be intimidated and put in my place!...
'My story is one of many the many victims deserve to have their stories aired not blocked and not silenced! I don’t care who they are or what legacy they want to maintain their victims deserve to have their voices heard!! #justiceforartists'
As yet, Rebecca has not specified who on her team was responsible for this alleged behaviour, and no one has come forward to offer a response. But we hope that these continuing claims are part of a journey toward consequences and healing. After all, after the continuing case of Britney Spears and her conservatorship, it is evident that the music industry is due a reckoning.
READ MORE: Yewande Biala Asks Love Island To Hire More Black Producers
READ MORE::a[The Strange Case Of NXIVM: Allison Mack Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Her Role In Keith Raniere's Sex Cult]{href='https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/allison-mack-nxivm-sex-cult-alleged-role/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}