Lily Allen reveals 'abusive and bullying' ex would cruelly accuse her of having 'poor hygiene' in a bid to feel 'powerful' and 'assert his control' over the singer
The singer, 40, who did not name the former partner, made the revelation during the latest episode of her podcast Miss Me? in which she appears alongside pal Miquita Oliver.
Lily said: 'It was somebody I was in a relationship with would do it to me [accusing her of having poor hygiene] and I don't think that it was real'.
'I think that it was like a form of bullying and abuse, it was a horrible one. And as bullying forms of abuse go, it's a really horrible one'.
Lily continued: 'Yeah, it was like done on purpose to make me feel self-conscious and sh** about myself. And make them feel powerful. I don't think I've brushed my hair in any relationship. I just don't brush my hair full stop'.
The smile hitmaker has been open about her rocky past relationships and marriages, most recently splitting from Stranger Things actor David Harbour, 50.
They separated late last year after Lily speculated that David was using Raya and shortly after The Mail revealed the he had been having an affair for three out of the couple's four year marriage.
Her first was builder Sam Cooper, with whom she shares daughters Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 11, revealing that she cheated on him with female escorts.
The musician, whose parents are comic actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, has ex-lovers including Ed Simons of DJ duo the Chemical Brothers, art dealer Jay Jopling and grime MC Meridian Dan.
She has also been romantically linked at different times with actor Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, and One Direction singer Zayn Malik.
On Friday, Lily broke down in tears at end of new play Hedda. which tells the tale of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage.
She was visibly crying for the curtain call with tears streaming down her face after her final suicide scene in the play, which runs at Theatre Royal Bath until Aug 23.
Her starring role in the new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play, following the success of 2:22 A Ghost Story and The Pillowman.
Directed by Matthew Dunster, she is the first to star in the new re-imagined show.
The role is described as 'the hoop through which every actress with her eye on greatness must jump.'
Ingrid Bergman, Peggy Ashcroft, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Cate Blanchett, Glenda Jackson and Rosamund Pike have all played Ibsen's manipulative, tragic heroine Hedda.
It will be only her third stage role, following a well-received stint in 2:22 A Ghost Story — in which she was directed by Dunster — and a slightly less well-received performance in Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman.
She told DailyMail's Alison Boshoff last year: 'I am absolutely thrilled to be given the chance of playing Hedda Gabler.
'I adore working with Matthew Dunster and can't wait to explore this piece with him.
'I'm very excited to bring her to Bath next summer, in the intimacy of the Ustinov studio, it's going to be great.'
Matthew added: 'Lily and I were talking about women we knew that were trapped in relationships where men had all the power, and how these 21st century women were still being controlled and destroyed.
'The conversation turned to plays where we could explore those ideas. We thought of Hedda Gabler and the connections were obvious, exciting and devastating.
'I relish watching Lily challenge herself, she pushes me, and I really value our ongoing collaboration.
'We want to offer up a Hedda that is absolutely for now.'
Lily snagged an Olivier Award nomination for 2:22 A Ghost Story.
Before then she had a small role as actress Elizabeth Taylor in the 2020 film How To Build A Girl, which was produced by her mother, Alison Owen, and based on the book by Caitlin Moran.
She was also in the comedy series Margate.
Lily enrolled in drama school in New York in 2023 and remarked that it was the first time she had studied since leaving school aged 15.
She added that live theatre was: 'utterly terrifying; I don't think I've ever been more scared than before the opening nights'.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be called, for free and in confidence, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247
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