Nicole Scherzinger has spoken candidly about her eating disorder, saying that it "stole" her happiness, confidence, and memories.

The X Factor judge told Cosmopolitan that she battled with body-image issues from a young age and that being in The Pussycat Dolls only made the problem worse. The singer suffered from bulimia for years. Scherzinger said that the eating disorder caused her to be very self-critical.

"I'm more accepting of my body now. I was always very critical of myself from a young age, and when I was 14, I started running. I would go outside in the middle of the night and run, because I thought I had to be thinner and that my thighs should look a certain way."

She also said that she was afraid to tell anyone about her disorder because she was ashamed of what they might think. "But once I finally did come out about it, I realised how many people it had helped," she said.

"You should embrace and accept yourself more. Don't be so hard on yourself, and love your curves."

Scherzinger will be joining Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Sharon Osbourne back on The X Factor judging panel this weekend.  Her full interview with Cosmopolitan is due out in October. In-text image via Instagram.