Nicole Scherzinger: `Faith is vital to me`

The 33-year-old has said that her mum had her when she was 18, but managed to get through the difficulty of raising a child at a young age thanks to her faith.

X Factor judge Nicole told British InStyle magazine: 'My mum had me at such a young age, she had to be real strong.

'Her father was an Orthodox Catholic priest and her faith is something I've inherited; it is now a vital part of my life.'

Scherzinger, who is currently dating Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton, added: 'I didn't have great self-esteem growing up. I was so insecure.

'I had a really sheltered life, a strong Catholic family. The only place I opened up was when I was singing, performing.'

The Right There hitmaker also said in the interview that she 'really relates' to Cheryl Cole.

Nicole, who replaced Geordie Cole, 28, on the judging panel of US X Factor, added: 'She's lovely. We really relate - we both find it very hard to say 'No' to the contestants; we both go at it from the same place; we both give heartfelt and constructive criticism.'