X Factor's Tulisa Contostavlos breaks down in tears after 15-month driving ban

Singer and former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos has been banned from driving for 15 months after pleading guilty to drink-driving. The star reportedly broke down in tears when she appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Monday (4 April) to face charges.

The 27-year-old, a former member of N-Dubz, was arrested after crashing her £150,000 Ferrari into another car outside Southgate Tube station in north London on 10 September. She pleaded guilty to driving with 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath (the legal limit is 35mg).

The court heard Contostavlos had consumed two glasses of wine before the crash, which happened shortly before midnight. Tarika Jayaratne, prosecuting, said the star drove "on the wrong side of the road" and hit a Saab which was carrying two people. Contostavlos had originally told police she was "sleep driving" when the incident occurred.

The court also heard how the star, who will have to pay a £1,185 fine, is hoping to launch a career in Hollywood. A drink-driving conviction could see the plan come unstuck due to strict US immigration controls.

This is not the first time the singer has found herself in court. Last year, the star revealed she was driven to the brink of suicide when she found out she was to be charged with a separate offence of conspiring to supply drugs.

In July 2014, her trial for brokering a cocaine deal collapsed when a judge threw out the case after revealing there were "strong grounds" to believe undercover Sun reporter Mazher Mahmood, famously known as the 'Fake Sheikh', had lied under oath.