Leona Lewis Interview : Celebrity Interviews - Access interviews with the world's biggest stars

Leona Lewis

Headline:

It's lonely being Leona: The X Factor winner on the life she left behind

Synopsis:

Leona Lewis is sitting in front of me drinking water. The fact that it's water is important - on her way out of this interview she's photographed by the waiting paparazzi and it is reported that she is 'looking the worse for wear'.

She's not, of course. Leona doesn't drink. Never has. She says alcohol tastes like hairspray. But, hey, the paps have been standing in the drizzle outside this Mayfair hotel for several hours. They've only managed to grab a shot of Piers Morgan so far and Leona sells. Sells big.

Best Album and Best Video at this year's Mobo Awards, Best Act in the UK and Ireland at the MTV Europe Music Awards, first British recording artist to enter the American Billboard charts at No 1 with a first album.

So, yes, Leona could be forgiven for being, well, rather full of herself when we meet for a chat - sandwiched between an awards dinner with Glamour magazine (after winning The X Factor in 2006, she was last year's Glamour Woman Of the Year) and an Agent Provocateur fashion show.

But she's not diva-ish. Not at all. She's wearing black plastic boots (a vegetarian since 12, she never wears leather) and a comfy woolly cardigan. In fact, she's so normal I have to keep reminding myself she is one of Britain's biggest ever female singing stars. In truth, she does too.

'I think to myself: "What was I doing two years ago?" I was a receptionist,' she says in a voice that's little above a whisper. 'Who used to drive me around two years ago? Me. Now I'll be given lovely dresses to wear and lovely hotels to stay in and think: "Two years ago, if I was given this, oh my God, I'd have fainted.'' ' The whisper peters out.

She fiddles with a pencil and pad in front of her. 'But it can be very lonely, particularly LA,' she says, looking at the pad. 'LA is sparse and you have to drive such long distances to get anywhere. When I was making my first album, Spirit, it was really, really lonely because it was just me and an A & R (artists and repertoire) guy. ...