A pop star was forced to stop an experiment into the dangers of binge drinking after it drove her body to the point of collapse within three weeks. Michelle Heaton, former Liberty X singer, agreed to drink the equivalent of a bottle of wine a day for a month to reveal the truth about the effects of alcohol on the body.
At the height of the band's fame the 27-year-old from Gateshead admits she was drinking well over the Government guideline of 14 units a week, but agreed to set out on the experiment to find out what effect it was having on her health.
Heaton, who is married to fellow singer Andy Scott-Lee, said: "I want to know when does drinking become binge drinking because no one can tell me the answer. It's a very fine line.
"I drink because it makes me feel more confident. I have so many hang ups about my body but when I drink alcohol all that goes out the window and I have a brilliant time. When I'm out in a club I can't socialise without a drink."
The singer had to drink a minimum of 60 units of alcohol a week. A team of doctors and nutritionists were assessing her along the way but husband Andy still felt the experiment was too dangerous. He said: "I'm quite concerned she is going to get addicted to this and the effects it's going to have on her body."
Voice coach Zoe Tyler was equally concerned when Heaton couldn't hit the high notes during a singing lesson. She said: "It's sounds like you've got a bad case of asthma. If you don't want to be a singer anymore carry on, carry on getting drunk and screaming your tits off at karaoke until three o'clock in the morning. "It scares the living daylights out of me. It's very worrying to hear somebody abuse their voice like that."
During the first week of the study the singer downed 42 shots of vodka, 16 glasses of champagne, 10 shots of tequila, six glasses of wine and two liqueurs, a total of 75 units of alcohol.
A day later she said: "I don't feel good about myself. I feel bloated. Right now I wish I didn't have to drink anymore. First day second week I'm over it totally. I'd cry but I don't have any energy."
Heaton had trouble getting out of bed for a photoshoot. On the job she said: "I'm finding it very difficult to stand up straight let alone pose."
Her make-up artist Lisa O'Connor said: "I actually got a bit of a fright when she walked in. "She's gone very puffed and lined under the eyes and it's one o'clock so it's not like first thing in the morning. Her eyes are the first thing that are going. She's aged quite a bit underneath and I saw her six weeks ago."
Heaton kept a log of what she thought she had consumed on a night out but was shocked to be told by a doctor she had actually drunk double the number of units.
During the second and third week she consumed a total of 183 units. One night she even had a fight with a female stranger but was unable to remember it in the morning because she was so drunk.
Andy said: "Her mood swings have taken a turn for the worse. Normally she'd tell me everything but she seems to be holding back. "She's gone from being very bubbly, outgoing and nice to becoming really moody, tired, forgetful and just not that fun to be around."
Heaton was forced to abandon the study after three weeks when tests revealed her body was reacting badly. After a night out she experienced pins and needles down her left arm and woke with heart palpitations.
She said: "I actually at one point was thinking about phoning an ambulance. I do not want to put my health in jeopardy more than I have already."
Within three weeks she suffered liver damage, stomach pains, depression and mood swings. Her lips were cracked, her skin became spotty and her hair greasy.
Heaton's eyes were permanently bloodshot and she also felt the effects of diarrhoea, amnesia and exhaustion.
Tests revealed the number of blood cells failing to fight infection in her liver had risen from 16 per cent to 80 per cent and she had developed a beer belly.
Heaton noticed her skin going grey and although her weight only increased by 2lb she went up a dress size. Her body fat also rose from 24 per cent to 29 per cent.
Heaton said: "I'm disappointed I haven't been able to go right to the end. I set out with a goal and I haven't been able to finish it but in another way maybe I've proved a better point that it actually takes only a short time to get yourself messed up with a lot of alcohol. "It's made me spotty, bloated and it's damaged my life and immune system.
"It's given me all these things in such a short space of time that surely people can realise it's killing them."
The experiment was screened on ITV.
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