Growing up, I used to think I'd never get on a plane - I was terrified. But when I joined Mis-Teeq, being on a plane was my job. I used to scream on flights. Full-on screams.

There were very few British black women on TV or in music when I was a teenager; when you're growing up, you need someone you can identify with. I remember at Christmas being bought a doll that didn't look anything like me, so I threw it away.

Once you've been through tough times, you can only become stronger.

The Alesha Show' was done with production crew Xenomania, and this time, I've worked with a lot of upcoming new producers.

No matter how many fights I got into, I was always the victor. I didn't like it, though. I remember being 12 years old, and I looked in the sky, and I said, 'God, I don't want to fight no more. I'm tired of fighting. I know what I want to do in my life, and fighting's not going to get me there.'

Hope is the belief we might get it done, and faith is the knowledge we will get it done.

I have the profoundest respect for people who behave in a generous way because of religion. But I come from a country where the misuse of religion has had catastrophic consequences. One must judge people not by what faith they proclaim but by what they do.

Who says we can't win the World Cup and the Ashes in the same year? Oh yes we can. It all goes back to my motto in life: Be proud of how far you've come - and have faith in how far you can still go.