The Saturdays' blonde bombshell Mollie King has opened up about the difficulties she faced at school because of her dyslexia. 

The 'Higher' singer told the Evening Standard newspaper that she dreading reading aloud in front of her classmates and would worry not only about becoming a potential victim of bullying, but that maybe she was just "thick":

"When you had a go around the class, reading a few paragraphs each from a book, I would sit there dreading my turn. I used to have my best friend next to me, whispering the hard words to me. But once I realised what the problem was, I felt much better about the fact that I wasn't thick."

She also explained that she fully endorses the Evening Standard's Get London Reading scheme and she could "could really have benefited from" the services it aims to provide, such as reading mentors and extra tuition:

"I have been there, so I can really relate to it. I've had these difficulties and I got through them. I used to have extra tutoring after school, so I could really have benefited from these volunteers. Just knowing there are people who want to help is inspiring."

"I want to do everything I can to raise awareness and make young people and adults realise it's not a taboo subject. I don't want anyone to feel they can't achieve their ambitions if they are dyslexic."

"When I was at school, most people were planning on going to university and becoming doctors or lawyers. I wanted to be a singer and I was laughed at. It was tough but I never let anything stop me. I would like to think that in some way I could encourage young people to achieve their goals."

Watch her talk about how she keeps fit for live performances here: