Jade Ewen 'always wanted to be famous'

New Sugababe Jade Ewen has revealed that she always wanted to be a performer.

The singer, who replaced Keisha Buchanan in the girl band last week, appeared in West End stage shows and on television from the age of 11 before focusing on her music.

"I began in The Lion King, playing the lioness Nala. I loved it. Soon after that I was in Whistle Down The Wind," she told The Sun.

"I went on to do a lot of acting - I was in Casualty and The Bill a lot when I was about 15. There were some pretty cool parts. I got to be a pregnant teenager - complete with all the padding - in Casualty.

"And I was shot in The Bill. That scene saw me covered in blood and guts."

The 21-year-old, who attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, joined R&B girl band Trinity Stone in 2005. The group enjoyed limited success in Europe before disbanding.

Ewen was later selected as the UK entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where she came in fifth place with her performance of 'It's My Time'.