Cheryl Cole has opened up on her "tough upbringing" and said that she empathises with disadvantaged young people.

Cole has written about a recent visit she made to the North of England to see how her Cheryl Cole Foundation is helping youths.

The foundation has teamed up with the Prince's Trust and Cole has opened up on her youth, describing how she was left lacking confidence during a "horrible" period in her teens. In an excerpt published by the Mirror, she said:

"I had a tough upbringing and didn't have many privileges as a child. I classed that as normal because it was all I'd ever known. I know what disadvantaged young people go through. I understand it. I get it. Growing up in an underprivileged environment can sometimes mean you're surrounded by the wrong people and you make the wrong decisions. Being educated about the different paths you can take in life is vital – especially during your school years."

She continued: "A lot of young people don't have focus and they don't know what they are going to do with their lives. If I hadn't had a dream, I could have gone off the rails and I could have had a very, very different life. I had a horrible time as a teenager and wasn't very confident. Between the ages of 16 and 18, I was also in a horrible relationship. If I hadn't had a love for music, I could have gone down a different path and become lost."