Nicole Scherzinger takes credit for Dolls’ success

Nicole Scherzinger claims she sang 95 per cent of the Pussycat Dolls' songs on her own.

The 34-year-old singer discusses her time with the girl group in an upcoming television special for VH1's Behind the Music.

And she claims her former bandmates Melody Thornton, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt and Jessica Sutta relied largely on her vocal abilities.

"I love those girls. They're like my sisters. But people don't even know the whole story. They have no idea. I was in the centre because I was singing," Nicole explained.

"[I] probably did 95 per cent [of the singing] on my own," she said of the group's debut album.

The Pussycat Dolls catapulted to fame following the wild success of choreographer Robin Antin's burlesque troop by the same name.

By the time the group released their single Don't Cha in 2005 they were dominating the music charts.

But X Factor UK judge Nicole says she is largely to thank for their success.

Still, she hopes her candour doesn't rub her former bandmates the wrong way.

"I hope I don't get in trouble for the stuff that I say," Nicole added. "But I'll never forget I finished the album, PCD, and [executive producer] Ron [Fair] and I brought the girls into the studio and we played it for them. It was the first time they'd ever heard the music.

"Do you understand what I'm saying? We played the album for the Pussycat Dolls. It was the first time they'd ever heard the songs."

Nicole also revealed she battled bulimia and self-esteem issues for years while performing with the group.

"I just hated myself," she revealed. "It's embarrassing. I never spoke about it… I never did drugs, but kinda doing things to myself was my addiction... My bulimia was my addiction; hurting myself was my addiction…

"You get, like, blisters on your hands or scars on your hands, and I'd try to hide those. I think the girls could tell."