Cheryl Fernandez-Versini could have "easily gone off the rails".

She said: "I've been very lucky in my life but it could have been very different. I could easily been one of those people who go off the rails.

"Even in my showbiz career. I mean, look at the amount of artists who have been affected by drink and drugs. My life could have gone that way too.

"But thankfully it hasn't and I'm able to show people that if I can do it, any of you can. I came from a worse area than so many people who need help."

The 31-year-old star - who hails from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in north east England - believes her "dream and ambition" to develop a music career has protected her.

She shared: "I was lucky because I always had a dream and ambition. Ever since I was little all I ever wanted to do was sing and dance and entertain.

"My mother has a famous quote: 'Che came into the world knowing what she wanted to do.' And I kind of did."

Meanwhile, Cheryl - who has opened a centre in her hometown to help the city's struggling youngsters - has admitted that she and her husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, are keen to visit more often.

She told The Sun newspaper: "I don't get to come back here as often as I like. But that will change now - and that will be good for my lifestyle.

"There's a specific smell in the air that means Newcastle to me. I go to the same Chinese takeaways and I get to eat the soup my mother cooks."