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Sinead O'Connor entering one-year 'trauma and addiction treatment programme'

Singer Sinead O'Connor has cancelled her gigs for 2021 and announced she is entering a one-year treatment programme for trauma and addiction.

In a series of tweets, the Irish star, best known for her hit version of Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990, said she had been through a "traumatic six years", but now "recovery starts".

She admitted she has been addicted to cannabis for 34 years - "a lifetime" - but said that in 2020 she became "briefly addicted" to another drug after one of her children had been unwell and she had "lost someone beloved".

The 53-year-old, who also goes by the name Shuhada after converting to Islam in 2018, has a history of mental health issues.

She said in her statement that after growing up with "trauma and abuse" she had gone straight into the music industry and "never learned really how to make a normal life".

In her first post, the star said: "Message for folks who have tickets for next year's shows: those shows are being postponed until 2022 so that I may go into a one year trauma and addiction treatment program because I had a very traumatic six years and this year was the end of it but now recovery starts."

After thanking fans for their support and apologising for any inconvenience caused to those who have bought tickets for shows, she later said: "If you knew the six years I've had, your (sic) know what I'm talking about. And I will explain very clearly in 2022."

She added: "Music business is a very unforgiving place for artists who need to postpone due to emotional or mental health issues."

O'Connor said her treatment begins next week and that a planned memoir will still be released in 2021.

The star concluded by saying she will continue to post on Twitter until her treatment starts, "mostly about what a total t*** Trump is".

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