James Arthur has opened up about his former fling with fellow singer Rita Ora - claiming it turned him into a “sex addict” after they split.
The former X Factor winner spent many wild nights with pop star Rita after the triumphed on the ninth series of the ITV talent show back in 2012.
But, after they went their separate ways, James admits “turning into a slag” as he struggled to turn down the increased female attention he found after fame.
He recalls sleeping with up to three girls in 24 hours, saying he’d invite to his flat “one in the day and another at night, then a different one in the morning”.
But many of the steamy sessions were not memorable for the musician as he was high on marijuana.
James has opened up about his struggles with depression and addiction before but has now gone into further detail in his book Back To The Boy.
Recalling his behaviour after appearing on television, he said: “If I’m honest, I became a bit of a slag after Rita. I was chatting to hundreds of women online or on WhatsApp after swapping numbers with them via Twitter, and I started to sleep with so many of them I lost count.
“They were usually the same type - Babestation girls or glamour models. If I saw someone I fancied I’d contact her on social media and tell her blatantly I wanted to have sex.
“It was ridiculously easy. There would be no emotional attachment and it would be just pure sex, and with one or two exceptions that was how it was.”
He and Rita became an item after meeting when she did a live performance during one of the results shows of The X Factor.
And James admits he found it hard to believe Rita would be interested in him when things started becoming a bit more serious.
Rita even James she loved him but the romance went cold and James was left devastated when he saw pictures of her with other men in the papers.
He said: “I was heartbroken. It really hit me hard.”
James soon sunk into a world of depression as he struggled to come to terms with the attention his public life brought and yearned for the comfort of his old life away from the spotlight.
He said: “The X Factor tour was a blur in my memory because I was so stoned and drugged up on all my anti-depressants every time I went on stage.
“I was struggling for survival every day and I didn’t even feel like myself. Under my skin, I was still the same frightened, fearful little boy I’d always been.”