Lucy Hale went to rehab after Grand Ole Opry cancellation
A press release announcing the cancellation of Lucy Hale's performance at the Grand Ole Opry said that she had flu.
Lucy Hale blacked out and ended up going to rehab just hours before she was scheduled to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.
The Pretty Little Liars star checked into a facility in 2014, after realising she needed professional help dealing with her alcohol addiction.
Lucy opened up on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, as she said it was when she was at the “point where I was just drinking dangerous amounts, waking up in dangerous situations” when she decided to seek help.
Recalling the events of February 21 that year, Lucy said: “I woke up out of a blackout in a hotel room, and later — it was early in the morning — and later that day, I was going to sing at the Grand Ole Opry... I went to rehab instead.
“That morning, I called my manager and I said, ‘I’m really scared. I don’t want to stop drinking, but I know I have to stop drinking’.
“My manager flew out, took me to rehab, all was kept under wraps.”
A press release announcing the cancellation of Lucy’s appearance at the time said that she had flu.
Lucy was forced to cancel her tour, and music and singing became something she has avoided ever since.
Struggling to hold back tears, she said: “I had to cancel my tour because of drinking, which is why I’ve never really approached music again, which also makes me emotional because I love music, and I loved that time in my life.
“But because the music coincided with my issues, it’s taken me a long time to even look at photos of that time or listen to music from that time.
“And so I’m just now kind of okay even thinking about the idea of singing again.”
Lucy also told Jay that when she looks back now, it’s “crystal clear” that the signs were there that she had a problem with alcohol.
She said: “I don’t remember ever having a normal drinking experience. I remember the way alcohol was presented in my hometown or with friends, or even in society — millennials just liked to drink.
“I always wanted more... I could never get enough of the feeling of just being so at ease. I remember just after a drink, it felt like my costume was coming off and Lucy could finally emerge, and I could be free, and I could be sexy, and I could be funny.”
