I do think that when you get older, you kind of learn not to judge because you realise that no one's perfect, and we're all fighting our own private demons.

I'm a better writer than I am a singer, and I express myself easily through writing.

It wasn't until my late teens that I really got into soul music and then I was like 'Ooh, this is good!' You'd always here it at old family parties, like, Gladys Knight and I'd always love it but I didn't really get to know it and respect it until I was a bit older.

My first album is a lot of my personal experiences. I wanted people to relate to what I've been through.

I was naive in that I thought I could just sing and perform and do what I had always wanted to do all my life. But I wasn't ready for all the added dramas that came along. There were times I fell out of love with music and thought about walking away. I thought I was happier when I was that girl at home in my bedroom singing into my hairbrush.

If you are going to survive in business, show business or any business, then you have to be bold.

I don't really read books. Wish I did.

I can't watch my first audition because it makes me too upset. I just think it is really sad. I look at myself and don't recognize myself. I do think fame and fortune changes people.

I think jazz has given me freedom with my voice.

I absolutely love Nicole Scherzinger. She's worked really hard to get to where she is and really knows her stuff.

I've just grown as a person, accepting my flaws as well. Before I was very insecure and I used to just hide, and now I just accept that I'm an imperfect human.

If you haven't got love, you've got nothing.

I'm one of these people who tries to look for the good in people, but I've learnt that, actually, no, some people fundamentally just are not nice.

I'd definitely like more kids when I'm older. And I think I'm like every woman in that I'd like to get married one day.

I'm not afraid of a rant, am I? I've got to that point where I've just become a woman; I think I've just grown.

Sometimes I won't put a lot of make up on; I won't put foundation on. I'll just pop a bit of blusher on. I'm not obsessed with trying to look like a Victoria's Secret model - it's real life.

I love L.A. I'd move there tomorrow if I could.

I remember sitting on a bench in New York and sobbing and realising that my ambition to be a singer was making me selfish - I was a mother with two children, and I needed a backup plan.

My family are too grounded, and I will go home to visit. I always need my dose of Liverpool to keep me grounded.

I knew I could sing. That one thing I did believe in was that I could sing, but then constantly getting rejected, it started to get me down. But my voice was always there and my dream and my ambition was always there when I went through bad times.

A lot of negative stuff has happened to me - that's why I'm tough - but I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, poor Becky,' because I'm not a victim.

I am lucky in that I love what I do, but it can still be hard to be away from the kids for long lengths of time. At the end of the day, all I want is to be with my kids, but it's worth it to create a future for my family.

I've always been interested in beauty. I studied it when I was 16 and 17, and I know it's a good idea to invest in something alongside my music.

I love getting dressed up.

I think being a mum gives you extra qualities. I'm more feisty, fiercely protective and less selfish. The main trait I want to instill in my kids is kindness. I think it's the most important thing. If you're kind, you'll go a long way.

If you are not happy with the song, don't sing it. Simple as that - no-one forces you to do it.

My advice is, if you are going to go on 'X Factor,' you have to know who you are as an artist.

The aim for me is to have a long career. I've got a couple of kids, and so I can't really be a fashion because I have to sustain a life for my children.

I took lessons since I was little; I used to pay for my own singing lessons and take myself. Just take the bus when I was a kid and go. But I'd been writing music for years, since the smallest age.

Growing up, we didn't have anything. My mum wasn't well, so I was in three care homes then foster homes before me and my little brother went back to her. I was passed from pillar to post.

You have to be really strong in the music industry, and I'm naturally very timid. That was really hard for me. You have to be tough. You have to make decisions and be a businesswoman.