My Mum, Your Dad's Natalie, 44, breaks silence on being 'sent to prison five times'

ok.co.uk:

The popular ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad contestant Natalie Russell, 44, has spoken out about her time in prison and the hard life she lived prior to her appearance on the show.

The brunette, who left the show in a couple with fellow contestant Paul Edwards, 47 and had been single for six years before the show, revealed in an honest Little Girls Aren't Taught This podcast chat that she "had a lot of trauma as a child." She said: "There was sexual abuse in teenage years, there was rape, a broken home, I ran away from home and I ended up abusing substances which led to prison and psychiatric hospital, suicide attempts – just utter chaos." The single mum, who was put forward for the show by her 20 year old son Kaliel so she could 'find someone and be happy', is now a self-esteem and relationship coach but prior to finding fame on the ITV show hosted by Davina McCall, she battled substance abuse, followed by time in rehab facilities and a brief spell in a psychiatric hospital.

She added that she believed her 'chaotic' past sparked her addictions and created a 'deep hatred' within herself. Admitting she believes she was trapped in a 'negative cycle' triggered by her childhood experiences she continued that she looked for her next fix on the street. "Those people you see running around on the street looking to get their next fix, that was me." Sadly, although Natalie prepared herself for the show with plenty of therapy and counselling sessions, she has since split from Paul since leaving the show, and being unlucky in love is something Natalie is familiar with.

She added that every partner she's ever had since she was 17 has cheated on her, believing her trauma sometimes pushed her towards 'toxic and abusive.