Ten Things You Never Knew About Lily Allen

After building up a strong fanbase on social networking site MySpace, Lily Allen rose to prominence in 2006 with her chart-topping single 'Smile' and her debut album Alright, Still. Since then, her outspoken nature has meant that she is rarely out of the spotlight, with Cheryl Cole, Elton John and Madonna among the stars who have faced criticism from the singer. She is currently ploughing ahead with promotion of her second album It's Not Me, It's You, out next month, after causing a furore by appearing to condone the use of cocaine last week.

1. Lily decided to pursue a career in music at the age of 11 after a teacher overheard her singing an Oasis track and told her that she should capitalise on her talent.

2. Lily attended 13 different schools throughout her childhood, including the Hill House School in Knightsbridge and Millfield in Street, Somerset. Her rebellious nature was one reason for the frequent changes; she was expelled from a number of schools for smoking and drinking.

3 Another defiant moment came at the age of 14, when Lily ran away from boarding school to attend the Glastonbury Festival.

4. The star has studied horticulture and says that she would be a florist if she had not decided to concentrate on music.

5. Though her initial fanbase was established on MySpace, Lily insists that the attention came as a surprise to her. She once said: "I never really treated the online stuff as a marketing tool. I just spent a lot of time there socialising, like so many people my age do. I still like to do it."

6. She may talk to her fans online, but Lily is far more wary about meeting them in the flesh. She once admitted that she was "scared" to go home because her mother had threatened to invite her supporters over.

7. Lily says that she doesn't want to be seen as a role model by her fans. "People should look to mothers and sisters as role models," she reasoned.

8. Lily has not received any media training. She was offered it by her record label in the early days of her career but rejected the idea because she "couldn't be bothered".

9. Lily made headlines for her feud with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole in 2007, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying the group's music. She once claimed that their songs always sound "brilliant" after ten plays.

10. Lily regards singing as a job rather than a calling. She once admitted: "Sometimes I feel like I really have had enough. And I'm not someone who eats, lives and breathes music."