Michelle Heaton has said she was “killing herself” before Katie Price led an intervention over her substance abuse.

The former Liberty X singer entered the rehabilitation clinic The Priory in April to tackle her problems with addiction, which she has said worsened in last year’s lockdown.

“What I was doing was a suicide mission,” Heaton told The Sun. “I never actually thought, ‘I want to kill myself’, but ultimately I was killing myself. I was crying out for help when I couldn’t actually ask for help. But when you’re an addict, it feels like there’s no way out.”

Speaking days after leaving The Priory, Heaton revealed that she had previously drunk vodka “everywhere” and that she had been rushed to hospital after an alcohol and cocaine binge while performing in a Liverpool pantomime last year.

Friends, including Price, led an intervention in the aftermath.

“I was shaking and I was crying. I was intoxicated. Katie Price said, ‘Right, you’re going to The Priory’ … Over the next 48 hours my manager, Katie, my husband and my best friends did it all for me. When Katie, who’s been through the fire and come out the other end says, ‘You need this’, you sit up and listen.”

Heaton said that lockdown had slowed down her cocaine use as drugs became harder to access, but that she became increasingly dependent on alcohol.

At The Priory, Heaton was told that the level of GGT enzymes in the blood stands at 30 or less in a healthy liver, and that hers stood at 2,500. “They had never seen a girl come in who registered that high,” she said.

Heaton found fame in the pop group Liberty X, before becoming a reality show staple. She has appeared on series including Celebrity Big Brother, Tattoo Fixers Extreme and The Big Reunion.

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.