11:42AM, Tue Jul 10, 2012

Cheryl Cole Talks About 'Evil And Very Public' Online Bullying

By Ruth Holliday Location: Newcastle

Tyneside idol Cheryl Cole says she has been targeted by online bullies.

The singer, 29, said she has suffered vicious attacks on Twitter and Facebook for more than a year.

She spoke to Grazia magazine about the issue of cyber bullying and said she could relate to the teenagers helped by her charity, The Cheryl Cole Foundation.

She said: "I get what these kids have gone through because I had a tough upbringing and I understand what it feels like to get bullied like some of them.

"In the last few years, I've been bullied on Facebook and Twitter. It's evil and very public.

"People judge my appearance and hair, and say that I look fat."

Speaking while meeting some of the teenagers her Foundation has worked with, she told the magazine: "I want to help these young people because I know how it feels to come out on the other side and be someone who achieves."

The Cheryl Cole Foundation helps The Prince's Trust work with young people in the North East.

She said of the Prince of Wales: "The first time I had tea with him at Clarence House, I had an etiquette lesson on how to address him.

"But I forgot to say Prince and just called him Charles, which was embarrassing and someone started coughing at my mistake behind me to correct me. But he couldn't stop laughing."