Ashley Roberts sent to hospital over brain aneurysm fears during height of Pussycat Dolls fame
Ashley Roberts has revealed her Pussycat Dolls schedule was so stressful at the height of the group's fame that she ended up in hospital for a suspected brain aneurysm.
The star was in the hugely successful girl band with Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt, Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta and Carmit Bachar from 2003 to 2010, but said the price of their fame took a huge toll on her body.
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Roberts, 40, told Jamie Laing's Private Parts podcast how she had to have an MRI to check for a brain aneurysm and developed viral arthritis, thanks to their heavy schedule.
She said: "The thing was, being in a girl band, we make people a lot of money so the schedule was outrageous. I’m not going to lie, by the end I was breaking down. I was in the hospital.
"They thought I was having a brain aneurysm. I think it was just from going, going, going and my body was just shutting down really."
Roberts, who now works in the UK as a TV and radio presenter, said she had been rushed to hospital while in London on tour, but had felt stressed about needing to be discharged in time to make another show in Germany.
She added: "As I was walking to get the MRI because they thought I was having a brain aneurysm, my knee locked up and I got this viral arthritis so I couldn’t bend my knee. The doctor was like, 'I think you need to just rest'. It’s wild."
The Pussycat Dolls had hits with songs including Don't Cha, Buttons, Beep and When I Grow Up.
In 2019, they were due to begin a reunion tour, but it was cancelled due to a fallout between Scherzinger and group founder Robin Antin.
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Talking about how she felt when the group split in 2010, Roberts said: "We were on the road for eight years pretty much solid, and then spat out the other end and I was like, ‘Who am I without this identity in the group?’
"I actually went and sat with this guru, I was on a journey. I was doing mantras, I was doing yoga and taking different acting classes and trying to figure out who I was and to get that passion back for the arts and creativity, because I just felt burnt out."
Watch: Ashley Roberts confirms Pussycat Dolls plans for new music