Ashley Roberts has said she became “really, really sick” because of the gruelling schedules that accompanied life in the Pussycat Dolls.
The 43-year-old was one of the most recognisable faces in the band, along with breakout star Nicole Scherzinger and Melody Thornton, during their peak in the Noughties. After the release of their debut album in 2005, The Pussycat Dolls went one of the most successful girl groups of all time, with hits including “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons”.
Known for their burlesque style of performance, which generated some controversy during the band’s heyday, the group have since come out to complain about the treatment they endured at the pinnacle of their success.
Roberts, who is promoting her new book, Breathwork: Techniques for Better Mental, Emotional and Physical Health, has said that she was left with arthritis, shingles, eczema, stomach ulcers, and extreme headaches because of the lifestyle.
“I remember being on stage in New York with the crowd singing back the lyrics and thinking, ‘Oh, this is really happening.’ It was a fast, extreme rocket ship,” she told The Times.
“There were no discussions around, ‘How is your mental health?’ It was a different era. Now, artists are coming forward to talk about their struggles and concerts are rejigged. I remember once we were in three countries in one day. Eventually, my body just got to the point of shutdown. I was really, really sick.”
The singer and dancer was eventually admitted to hospital.
“I remember saying [in the hospital], ‘I need to get on a flight to Germany. I’ve got a show to do. You gotta give me something.’ That was the mentality,” she continued.
“I was having extreme headaches, being sick. They found viral arthritis in my knee. I couldn’t do anything really. But that was my drive. And then when I finally got out of the Dolls [in 2010], I had eczema all over my legs, shingles across my face and a stomach ulcer. An acupuncturist told me then, ‘If you don’t scream, your body’s gonna scream for you.’
“It was a manifestation of ‘go, go, go’ for years or ‘grind, grind, grind’, an accumulation of being on the road at a time when nobody really spoke up about anything. There was also this feeling that we could be replaced in some way. But also there was my own drive, growing up as a dance competitor. So it was a combination of the two.”
The Pussycat Dolls disbanded in 2010. A reunion tour was scheduled for 2020, but, thanks to the Covid pandemic, never went ahead.
Roberts has since found solace in breathing practices, saying: “It’s probably a bit of having grown up, but I really feel like practising breathing has allowed me to understand how my body feels around certain people.
“My foundation is stronger. I’m not saying I’m some kind of guru, or that I’ve got a certificate saying I’ve got everything figured out. If anything, it’s the opposite. But I do feel better.”
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