Paulini Curuenavuli rose to fame as a star in the first season of Australian Idol, but singer has gone on to be a seasoned vocalist and actress, but while her professional life expanded the 35-year-old reveals her personal life has taken a few blows.
Last year saw Curuenavuli land herself in hot water with the law which resulted in a suspended jail sentence for bribing a police officer to get a fake driver’s licence.
And while the star has since apologised she has written an open letter detailing some confronting details on The Daily Telegraph, touching on a breakdown she experienced.
“I was at an all-time low in my career where my confidence and finances were equally bleak … I was at rock bottom and couldn’t see a way through it,” she wrote. “I was completely overwhelmed and did not feel like a role model to my family or fans. The lack of a driver’s licence … was yet another layer to my lack of self-worth.”
“I went through a very traumatic breakup from a tumultuous relationship,” she wrote. “I am embarrassed to say this was not the first relationship I had been in involving domestic violence and low self-esteem.
“In addition to the breakdown of my relationship, my failed album release had cost me my savings and the relationship with the record label,” she wrote.
The letter — which was obtained by the newspaper — confirmed that things were so rough the star was at one point left homeless and was forced to move in with her parents at their Mt Druitt home.
The former The Bodyguard star revealed that while it is not an excuse, she was “at breaking point” when she decided to fork out $850 to a corrupt RMS employee for a fake licence – even if she was a learner driver.
“I was at an all-time low in my career where my confidence and finances were equally bleak … I was at rock bottom and couldn’t see a way through it,” she wrote. “I was completely overwhelmed and did not feel like a role model to my family or fans. The lack of a driver’s licence … was yet another layer to my lack of self-worth.”
Nowadays the star shows remose for her actions and said: “My parents, family and church instilled a moral code in me which is clearly not reflected in my offending behaviour.”
“All I have known is to use my voice to support myself and my family and try to make a living out of what I love to do best … I strive to be a good person every day; I am a hard-worker and provide financially for my family.”
To conclude, Curuenavuli shared a note to her loyal fans. “I hope I gain their forgiveness.”
This article originally appeared on WHO.
