Amelle Berrabah: 'I needed to escape'

Amelle Berrabah has said that she needed to get away from the real world when she received treatment for nervous exhaustion.

The singer took a break from Sugababes shortly after Jade Ewen replaced Keisha Buchanan in the group's lineup.

Berrabah told The Sun: "I feel good. I just needed a bit of time. It was a bit weird stepping out of the madness then just wandering around - in my dressing gown most of the time - chilling out.

"It was a great chance for me to retreat from the real world. When I came home I cringed when I read in a magazine that I had been in a depression clinic but thinking about it, I guess that's exactly what had happened."

She added: "Everything had just got too much for me to cope with in recent months and I needed a place to go to make sense of the madness.

"I met fantastic people and they introduced me to some alternative therapies which helped me feel like I was back in control of me for the first time in a long time.

"I've always known I've got the best job in the world but it stopped feeling like that for a while. I was taking a bit of time out, and just needed a bit of 'me' time. I feel really refreshed... I am back now and can't wait to get started again."