James Arthur has expressed regret that he claimed a fling with fellow pop star Rita Ora made him into a sex addict.
The former X Factor champion made the revelations in his 2017 autobiography The Boy.
But nearly four years later the 33-year-old singer-songwriter has admitted he wishes he’d never made those remarks.
“If I could stop the production of the book now I probably would because there’s stuff that has affected family relationships, not long term, but at the time it hurt people,” admitted James, in an interview with The Sun.
“It was done at a time when there was just a lot of stuff going on.
James Arthur has regret for saying that Rita Ora turned him into a sex addict (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ann)
“I’d just made my comeback and we tried to do too much at once. When I look back at that there’s certain things I wouldn’t have shared or have explained in the way that I did.
“There’s things I shared about relationships where I should have considered the people involved a bit more, I think.”
James famously branded himself a “s**g” in his book after his alleged affair with Rita severely impacted his life.
James Arthur found fame after winning the X Factor in 2012 (Image: Getty Images)
He said he became “heartbroken” after countless romps with hundreds of women after discovering fame after winning the X Factor in 2012.
James revealed his and Rita’s romance in a freestyle rap a year later and admitted at the time: “If I’m honest, I became a bit of a s**g after Rita. Me and Rita were seeing each other on-and-off for a few months.”
But he added: “I was chatting to hundreds of women, and I started to sleep with so many of them I lost count. It was ridiculously easy.
“There would be no emotional attachment and it would be just pure sex, and with one or two exceptions that was how it was.
“They were usually the same type – Babestation girls or glamour models. If I saw someone I fancied I’d contact her on social media and tell her blatantly I wanted to have sex.”
In a separate interview with the London Evening Standard, James reflected: “Me and Rita were seeing each other on-and-off for a few months. All of a sudden, we just stopped talking.
“Maybe it was bad for her image to be seen with me. I was a little bitter about that because she’d said she had a lot of feelings for me.”
Like what you see? Then fill your boots…
There’s MUCH more where that came from! Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our showbiz, TV and soaps newsletters – they’ll drop straight into your inbox and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We’ll bring you the inside track from telly expert Ed Gleave and soap specialist Sasha Morris. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs.
You can sign up here – you won’t regret it…
Singer-songwriter James Arthur in concert at the O2 Arena in 2020 (Image: Getty Images)
James has spoken openly about his drugs and gambling addictions, as well as having appeared on This Morning to discuss his mental health issues and sometimes having suicidal thoughts.
He revealed at the time: “I’ve suffered with depression and I’m an anxious character.
“Even before the X Factor I was self-medicating quite a bit to just to get myself through the day.”
James is now happily in a long-term relationship with Jessica Grist, his dancer girlfriend.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
