N-Dubz star Tulisa is best known to many for her music career, but she also became embroiled in a high-profile trial after being set up by undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood
Tulisa was once one of the biggest names in showbiz until she “lost everything.” Now, she’s relaunching her career on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The former X Factor judge faced allegations made by notorious journalist ‘Fake Sheikh’ Mazher Mahmood, claiming she was able to help him get his hands on drugs. “It’s been a journey. And there is no choice in coping. You either fight or you fall. And so I’ve overcome things that, you know, I didn’t realise I was capable of overcoming,” she told OK! Magazine.
Entangled in scandal due to Mahmood, who notoriously used his Fake Sheikh persona to lure celebrities into compromising situations, Tulisa faced tough times in 2013. The N-Dubz star was arrested on June 4, 2013, on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and was later bailed to a date in July of the same year. Tulisa, 36, was charged on December 9 with “being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs,” and later appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court where she denied being involved.
However, the trial which was set for July 14, 2014 was later dismissed after it emerged that journalist Mazher Mahmood, who was known as the “fake sheikh” had lied to the court. He was later sentenced to 15 months behind bars. Entrapped by Mahmood’s scheme implying a leading film role, she found herself accused of arranging a cocaine deal worth £820 for him, despite believing him to be part of the filming industry—a setup which led to arrest and trial.
However, Tulisa valiantly stood against the wrongdoing, ultimately bringing Mahmood’s controversial techniques to light. During the trial, Mahmood was convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice after his driver, Alan Smith, altered a police statement that omitted remarks from the singer indicating her disapproval of hard drugs. The case against Tulisa collapsed, and Mahmood received a 15-month prison sentence for tampering with evidence.
Previously, Mahmood had been employed by the Sunday Times and the now-defunct News of the World, where his investigative work reportedly led to 94 convictions. He gained notoriety for exposing wrongdoings but faced criticism for orchestrating stings while masquerading as an Arab businessman to secure stories.
One of his high-profile targets was model Jodie Kidd, who discussed her ordeal in the 2023 Prime Video documentary series “The Fake Sheikh,” where she lamented that befriending him was “the biggest mistake of my life,” after being labelled a “coke fixer” in the press following their encounter.
Post-conviction in 2016 and subsequent imprisonment, Mahmood vanished from the limelight and is presumed to have ceased working as a journalist. Nonetheless, in a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Paul Samrai, an associate of Mahmood’s, hinted at rumours that Mahmood might still be active in journalism, albeit under a pseudonym.
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