Sarah Harding: 'Fame can be horrible'

Sarah Harding has warned aspiring singers that achieving fame and success can have "horrible" consequences.

The Girls Aloud singer, who is currently planning her wedding to DJ Tom Crane, stated that only the most determined of individuals can withstand the "pressure" of becoming a household name.

The Mail On Sunday quotes Harding as saying: "Anyone wanting to be famous needs to think long and hard about it. You have to be a very strong, positive character to deal with all of the knock-backs on the way up, and you have to take them all as part of the learning curve that will ultimately help you succeed.

"If you do become famous then your whole character will be open to scrutiny, and if you're not strong enough to handle the pressure then the results can be quite horrible."

Harding, who won a place in the 'Loving Kind' girlband on reality show Popstars: The Rivals, further argued that finding fame has become a bigger challenge in today's celebrity-obsessed culture.

She claimed: "It's much harder to make it these days than when I auditioned for Popstars ten years ago. For a start there are many more people looking to become famous, and there are also many more programmes along the lines of The X Factor looking to discover new talent.

"I think this has really upped the ante in terms of quality, and if I were to go back and do it all again I probably wouldn't stand out enough."