'I'm heartbroken... but I won't sit here and be violated': Tulisa confirms sex tape
Tulisa Contostavlos has taken the brave step of addressing the sex tape that was leaked online earlier this week.
Explosively confirming that it is her in the video, the X Factor star speaks of her devastation at the betrayal and places the blame on an ex-boyfriend.
'I've never been the type - regardless of being in the public eye - to sit down and keep my mouth shut about anything, especially when I've done nothing wrong,' she says in a five-minute long video, posted on YouTube.
Scroll down to watch Tulisa speaking about the sex tape
'Devastated': Tulisa Contostavlos has addressed the sex tape that was leaked online last week, confirming that it is her in the video
The 23-year-old singer claims that the other person in the X-rated tape is her ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards, also known as Ultra, who she describes as 'an old school garage MC' and who she alleges is the one behind the video circulating online.
Holding up two pictures of the couple during their relationship, Tulisa says: 'Justin is someone who I was seeing from the age of 17 off and on for many years.
'I practically moved in with him, I loved him deeply, had a lot of respect for him, we talked about kids and marriage. I got my record label to give him a singles deal.'
'I never expected a scenario like this.'
The candid star reveals that the release of the video did not come as a huge surprise to her, after she learned of its existence last year.
'The truth about the tape' The X Factor judge said that she's been 'in bits' for the past few days
'When you share an intimate moment with someone you love, you never expect this': The singer alleges that the other party in the video is ex-boyfriend Justin Edwards
'I can be honest - about six months ago I got calls from a lot of mutual friends telling me that he had this footage of me that was threatening to bring out for whatever reason - to make money or ruin my career,' she says.
'I confronted him and he lied about it, he completely denied it. Now here we are today, and the footage is now circulating online.
'As you can imagine, I'm devastated. I'm heartbroken, I've been in bits for the last few days.
'When you share an intimate moment with someone you love, that you care about and trust, you never imagine that at any point it will be shared with the rest of the UK or people around the world.
'He lied': Tulisa shows pictures of herself and the man she claims has betrayed her
'It's a pretty tough time for me, but I don't feel I should be the one to take the heat for it.
'This is something he took upon himself to put the footage online, and now he's sitting in silence and pretending that it's not him on the tape when it is.
'I'm not going sit here and be violated or taken advantage of.
'It's out now, there is nothing I can do about it, but I felt I needed to tell my side of the story.'
Mr Edwards took to Twitter an hour after the video was posted, and wrote: 'I believe in silence being a sign of Integrity but in this case I guess I'll have to speak up and Lay out the facts and let you guys decide.'
The day the sex tape was leaked, he tweeted: 'I didn't wanna say anything on the subject but I see peoples imagination running away.. it's nothing to do with me. #backtowork'
Speaking up: Tulisa posted her YouTube address online on Wednesday night
'Let you guys decide': Edwards responded an hour later, declaring his intention to 'speak up and lay out the facts'
Tulisa's decision to speak out about the embarrassing video comes just two days after her legal team obtained an injunction preventing anyone using, publishing or communicating or disclosing to any other person... all or any part of the film.
Yesterday a spokesperson for the singer declined to comment on the matter as Miss Contostavlos deliberated over if, and how, to respond.
Her reaction was posted online on Wednesday night and tweeted to her 1.7million Twitter followers with the simple explanation: 'The truth about the tape.'
The 'tape' first appeared on a website available to download for £3.90 on Monday morning and caused a social media frenzy.
The six minute film, taken from a camera phone, shows a blonde performing a sex act.
Ex love: Tulisa told fans that she dated Edwards from the age of 17 off and on, and even helped him get a record deal
A spokesman for the website which uploaded the video wrote on their Twitter page yesterday afternoon: 'So ummm... Tulisa’s lawyers just left our office after serving us a handwritten cease and desist notice.
'So basically we’ve had to take the video down.'
Tulisa's admission that she confronted her ex about the existence of the tape is at odds with her spokespersons' denial last year.
At the time, when it was reported that someone had asked the singer for £50,000 to prevent the video from leaking, her team said: 'This tape is 100 per cent fake and is just someone trying to cash in on her X Factor role.
'She is horrified that someone would go to the extreme lengths of fabricating a video. It is absolutely not her. Tulisa has categorically never allowed anyone to film her having sex.'
