The news follows the breakdown of her own marriage to Andy Scott-Lee amid claims that she was unfaithful.
A friend told The People: "She had really bad luck in 2008. Not only did she witness her own marriage collapse, but she has seen her parents split.
"It has been a really difficult time for her. The past year has seen lots of heartbreak and agonising for the family.
"Michelle has gone into the Big Brother house in a bid to reinvent herself and forget what has happened to her over the year."
Since the split, the singer has been travelling between her home town of Gateshead in the North East and Ireland, where she is living with her current boyfriend, advertising executive Hugh Hanley.
