I was made to feel like dirt for being a traveller & was embarrassed my dad was in jail as a child, says Cher Lloyd

CHER Lloyd has opened up about her childhood and life since being on the X Factor.

The pop star, now 31, rose to fame at 16 years old after appearing on the show.

But now she's sat down with therapist Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast to share how her upbringing and the show shaped her life.

Cher grew up in Worcestershire on a council estate with her three siblings and mum and dad but admits that it was 'troubling' at times.

She said: " I grew up in a council house on a council estate and not always is that a negative thing.

"I made lots of friends on the council estate, we all looked after each other if you ever needed anything you could just pop two doors down and say mum's run out of sugar can we have some sugar and everyone would help each other out.

"But at the same time, I did grow up around things that I feel now as an adult and as a mother children probably shouldn't ever be exposed to."

She revealed her dad was often not around while she was growing up due to the fact he spent many periods in prison.

"He was a great dad though, he only ever showed me love and affection and I hold no grudge at all to my father and the relationship I have with my parents today," she continued.

She revealed her childhood gave her the thick skin she needed to deal with the X Factor.

As well as dealing with her dad being away, she said she also faced racism being part of the Romany community.

Cher explained her mum is a traveller while her dad is not, which was a big deal as they rarely marry outside of their community.

She also experienced bullying at school because of her race, saying: "I think growing up, one of the things we faced was the use of words to put us down, make us feel like dirt.

"I remember being in school and people saying, I hate to say it, but they'd call you a p**ey and that was just like a dagger straight to the gut because you knew it was coming from this horrible, mean place."

Cher looked on her community fondly as she explained family is a huge deal and they often stick together to help each other out.

She revealed she had family live on the same road as her growing up so she was constantly surrounded by support even if her dad was in prison or she was being bullied.

"It makes me really sad because I don't feel like any child should have to feel that way, feel that they have to take on all that stress and embarrassment and have to deal with it alone but I do feel like it did shape me looking forward to my career," she said.

Her time on the X Factor was turbulent with Cher saying she was pinned as the 'villain'.

She told the relationship expert: "I was oblivious, I truly believed that going on a show like The X Factor was gonna be just fun, fun, and I'm gonna get to sing, which is exactly what I wanted.

"It wasn't just that. It was so much more.

"They have to entertain people, unfortunately it's not just about the singing, and I think because I had such confidence and was such a presence at that time, I think that was a gateway into kind of giving me the character of the villain.

"I guess I was the villain that year, which tends to happen in reality TV, and I'm not saying that I was perfect because I definitely wasn't."