Lulu's Biography

Who is Lulu?

Lulu was born Marie MacDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, in Lennoxtown, Glasgow in 1948. Her father was a butcher.

In the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? it was revealed that Lulu's mother was the daughter of Hugh Cairns, who was part of a Glasgow gang and had been in prison 10 times in 10 years.

Lulu attended Whitehill School, but has been in the entertainment business since the 1960s. According to Lulu's official site, she "is the only female artist to have appeared on Top Of the Pops in each of the last five decades."

In 1964 at just 15 she had a hit with her cover of the Isley Brothers' Shout.

In 1967 she had a Number 1 hit in the USA with the title song of the film To Sir With Love.

In 1969 Lulu won the Eurovision Song Contest with Boom Bang-a-Bang.

Numerous other hits followed, as Lulu widened the gamut of her entertainment prowess. She had her own show on TV, It's Lulu, in the 1970s and in the 1980s she acted in The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole.

In 1993 Lulu was back at number one in the UK charts singing guest vocals on Take That's Relight My Fire.

From 1969 to 1973 she was married to Maurice Gibb of The Bee Gees.

In 1976, she married hair stylist John Frieda, but they divorced in 1995.

Lulu and John Frieda had a son, Jordan Frieda, who became an actor and restaurateur.

Lulu was awarded the OBE in 2000.

In 2011, Lulu went on Strictly Come Dancing, partnering Brendan Cole.

They were the fifth couple to be voted off.

In November 2016, the BBC announced that Lulu would be a judge on the new BBC One Saturday night entertainment show Let It Shine.

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