Quotes from Nicola Roberts

No matter how much control you have or how much confidence, it's always in someone else's hands, all the time. That's the scariest thing about this industry. It's so political.

I paint my own nails and only get my hair cut when it really needs it.

I was aware that there weren't many make up brands that catered for women for extra pale skin so I feel proud that I've been the person to do it.

I always felt that people found women more attractive if they were tanned and there are some parts where I'm so pale, I'm blue and see-through.

I started looking at women like Lily Cole and Sophie Ellis Bextor - beautiful women with their pale skin, rather than looking at the run-of-the-mill, tanned, average lady.

I felt embarrassed about how my body looked being so pale.

For years I hated being pale.

I'm not ill, I'm just pale.

We were put together by the public, they voted for us to be in the band. So we were very much the public's band.

I like everything to be natural... believable.

In any social situation I'd much rather be on the periphery of things than at the centre. When I'm standing at the edge I'm comfortable in my own skin. When I'm standing in the middle it's all confusion.

You've got to be your own best friend.

I was never bullied at school.

I always had a family that instilled in me red hair was my superpower and how it was such a lovely thing.

We have so many talented writers. Companies need to understand that smaller writers also need to be supported.

That's also one of the reasons I haven't found a man - he has to get past the other girls first and they are very picky!

In a way Girls Aloud were the first wave of modern celebrity. When we started out there were no camera phones clicking away.

People called me Cilla when I was little because I was always singing and writing poems.

I truly love my hair but my skin colour was something I couldn't get my head around.

When you're confident about something, people can't bully you about it.

Anyone of any age or background who loved pop music liked our songs.

As I got older, I realised fake tan was rather messy and I wanted to look cleaner, classier and more demure.

I was very young when I was using fake tan and I didn't care.

I used to do fake tanning because I was told that I didn't look great.