Cheryl Cole has written about how her challenging upbringing has helped with her self-titled Foundation.

The singer launched the charity with The Prince's Trust last year in her bid to help youngsters in her native North East England.

In an excerpt published by Britain's Mirror newspaper, Cheryl acknowledges how lucky she was to make it out of her difficult environment.

"I had a tough upbringing and didn't have many privileges as a child," she wrote. "I classed that as normal because it was all I'd ever known."

"To take just one young person who has started off in an underprivileged home and then to come back in a couple of years to find that their life has changed and they are a confident young adult would be incredible," said the young superstar.