Tulisa: 'People think I'm a bitch, but I'm not'

Tulisa Contostavlos has claimed that people often have the wrong impression of her.

The X Factor judge explained that she is mistakenly branded a bitch because her difficult upbringing forced her to be "tough".

"I had a bad time but got through it by not letting everything get to me," she told The Mirror. "I spend most of my life being tough, but there is a downside - a lot of people think I'm a bitch. I'm not.

"Every now and again I'll shut myself away and cry. If there's something that's bothering me - like a load of nasty remarks on Twitter - sometimes crying can be the best release."

She added: "I really want to have kids. I'll get married and because of the way I grew up, having a baby will be a massive deal for me."

Tulisa also described being voted FHM's 'Sexiest Woman in the World' "embarrassing", insisting that there are "a lot more beautiful girls out there".

She recently defended the chart position of her latest single 'Live It Up', which reached number 11 on Sunday's (September 16) chart.