Lady Gaga ‘lucky to be alive’ after taking lithium while making A Star Is Born
By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Singer and actress Lady Gaga has said she is “lucky to be alive” after taking lithium while making the 2018 film A Star Is Born.
The 39-year-old, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, also revealed she sought psychiatric care after her psyche began to unravel following the making of the film, which she starred in alongside actor Bradley Cooper, and during her Joanne world tour.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the Telephone singer said: “I did A Star Is Born on lithium, there was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister anymore’, and I cancelled the tour.
“There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care.
“I needed to take a break.
“I couldn’t do anything… I completely crashed.
“It was really scary.
“There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better… I feel really lucky to be alive.
“I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.”
Gaga cancelled the last 10 dates of the Joanne tour in 2018, citing chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body that she suffers from, at the time.
She credited her fiance, entrepreneur Michael Polansky, with aiding her recovery, and added: “Being in love with someone that cares about the real me made a very big difference.”
The US singer said she is now a “healthy, whole person”, having released her seventh studio album Mayhem earlier this year, which is nominated for seven Grammy Awards.
She said: “It was months and months and months of rediscovering everything that I’d lost, and I honestly think that’s why it’s called Mayhem, because what it took to get it back was crazy.”
The NHS says lithium, which is available on prescription, is a type of medicine used to treat mood disorders such as mania, hypo-mania, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Gaga is one of the world’s biggest pop stars and has achieved six UK number one singles and five UK number one albums.
She is best known for songs such as Just Dance, Poker Face and Paparazzi and has won 14 Grammy Awards.
In May, Brazilian police claimed to have foiled a bomb plot at her free concert on Copacabana Beach, which is said to have been attended by 2.5 million people.
