Nicole Scherzinger: I Was Embarrassed About Being Bulimic

Oct. 5 2012, Published 9:00 a.m. ET

Nicole Scherzinger is opening up for the first time about her “embarrassing” battle with bulimia during her seven years as the lead singer of the highly successful Pussycat Dolls.

In a new Behind the Music special, which airs on VH1 Sunday, the 34-year-old sexy singer talks about her struggle with weight and body image.

"It's embarrassing. I never spoke about it. Like I said, I never want to play a victim, and I never wanted my family to hear about things from me because I think it would break their heart, you know," Scherzinger says. "I guess it was like my addiction, right? I never did drugs, but kinda doing things to myself was my addiction. It's like when I got off stage, I was on this high, and I'd come back to my room and I'd be alone, so I would just do things. My bulimia was my addiction; hurting myself was my addiction."

Article continues below advertisement

Scherzinger -- who won Dancing with the Stars in May, 2010 and was later (briefly) a judge on Simon Cowell’s U.S. version of The X Factor -- says she "did it every day for, like, years. Every time I had a second to be alone, I was doing something to myself. You get, like, blisters on your hands or scars on your hands, and I'd try to hide those. I think the girls could tell."

Behind the Music -- featuring Nicole’s story-- airs Sunday, October 7, at 9 p.m. EST on VH1.