Lily Allen says “bullying” ex once accused her of having poor hygiene: “I don’t think it was real”

Lily Allen has claimed that a “bullying” ex accused her of having poor hygiene.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Lily Allen: “I’m taking ownership of my narrative”

The singer and actor discussed the topic during a recent episode of her Miss Me? podcast with Miquita Oliver, saying that an ex-partner tried to assert control over her by saying she was unclean.

“It was somebody I was in a relationship with who would do it to me, and I don’t think that it was real,” Allen told Oliver, not naming the ex in question.

“I think that it was like a form of bullying and abuse, it was a horrible one,” she continued. “And as bullying forms of abuse go, it’s a really horrible one.”

The singer went on to say that she believed the person made the comments with the intention of hurting her, adding: “Yeah, it was like done on purpose to make me feel self-conscious and shit about myself. And make them feel powerful.”

Earlier this year, it was reported that Allen had separated from her husband David Harbour, after four years of marriage. Allen and Stranger Things actor Harbour began dating in 2019 after meeting on the dating app Raya and tied the knot in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in September 2020.

Allen recently revealed that she went into a treatment centre to deal with her “emotional turmoil” after the spilt.

In other news, Allen recently said that she has noticed her music having a “resurgence” online, with more young people becoming fans.

Then, at the start of 2025, she also shared an update about new material and said that she was trying to “manifest” a new record being completed by the end of the year. A new LP from Allen would mark her first since 2018’s ‘No Shame‘.

Hints at the start of the year follow comments that she had been working on new material in Nashville, Tennessee, and that she had already written around 50 songs for a potential new album.

In June, Allen made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury 2025, showing up to perform her 2018 collaboration ‘Roll The Dice’ with Shy FX.

For help, support and advice regarding domestic abuse, visit Refuge here or call the freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

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