Tulisa Contostavlos pleads guilty to drink-driving

She has been disqualified from driving for 15 months

Tulisa Contostavlos has pleaded guilty to drink-driving after crashing her Ferrari on the wrong side of the road last year.

The former N-Dubz singer admitted being over the limit during the incident outside Southgate tube station in north London in September at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.

She broke down in tears while stating her address and then plead guilty as the drink-driving charge was read to her. She has been disqualified from driving for 15 months and ordered to pay a fine of £1,185.

The court heard that Contostavlos had drunk two glasses of wine before the incident. The prosecutor said she drove “on the wrong side of the road” and hit a vehicle which was carrying two people. Prosecutor Tarika Jayaratne told the court that during her interview at the police station Contostavlos said she was “sleep-walking” or “sleep-driving” at the time.

Mitigating lawyer Kirsty Brimelow said Contostavlos was remorseful and said, “She immediately cooperated with police. She immediately told the police she had drunk alcohol.” She also added that as a “talented young woman”, she has placed her career on hold because of the case.

Sentencing Contostavlos, District Judge Gill Allison told her it was a “serious matter”.

Tulisa found fame with N-Dubz, who formed in 2002 and split in 2012, before being accelerated to primetime television as a judge on The X Factor alongside Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Kelly Rowland in 2011. She then released a solo album The Female Boss.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.