Nicole Scherzinger: 'I have a very strong faith'

Scherzinger, a devout Catholic, says her faith has helped her battle bulimia.Nicole Scherzinger/Twitter

Former pussycat doll Nicole Scherzinger has opened up about her religious beliefs, telling ITV's Lorraine Kelly "I have a very strong faith".

Having judged on Simon Cowell's X Factor for the past two seasons, as well as currently enjoying a solo career – with new single Your Love out on July 13 – you'd be forgiven for thinking Scherzinger had it all, but she has admitted battling with bulimia in the past.

Speaking on Lorrain on Wednesday, the singer said she felt it "important" to speak out about her troubled past to help those going through the same thing.

"I had the courage to finally confront it and talk about it because then I realised I could help other people," she revealed.

"I was afraid at first but it's so rewarding to be able to have some of my fans and other people come to me and I can be a voice, I can be a light for them to fight back...Everybody gets in that dark head space and you just have to fight back and there is a better way."

Scherzinger, who has been vocal about her Christian convictions in the past, then added that it was her faith in God that helped her get back on track.

"I have a very strong faith and an amazing family and good people around me," she said.

"Nobody's perfect, everybody goes through their own insecurities, their own issues and people always look at me and I'm like 'you don't even know half the story, you have no idea'."

Scherzinger's grandfather is a priest, and the singer has also revealed that she regularly attends Confession as a way by which to remain close to her Catholic roots – not easy given her jet set lifestyle.

"For me it has helped, but it is a case of each to their own," she said in an interview with the Daily Mirror published yesterday.

"With Confession, because of my spiritual relationship with God, it just helps. For some people it's meditation, for others prayer, but because I came with my Catholic roots, I feel like it lifts something off of me. It's always good to ask for forgiveness and forgive."