Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis: All I want to do is my music, and just hearing my single on the radio the other day brought a tear to my eye; I was so happy.

Leona Lewis: I can't let myself or my family down; I just want to be the best I possibly can.

Leona Lewis: I'd always been quite quiet growing up, and singing was a way of having a voice.

Leona Lewis: I did sometimes feel like an outsider. I'd go crying home to Mum and she would say to me, 'You're a beautiful girl and you're a part of me and a part of your dad. You don't have to do anything but carry yourself with pride'.

Leona Lewis: I always saw my parents working hard and it made me learn that if you work hard, the rewards follow. I was always grateful to my parents for what they did.

Leona Lewis: I have all these amazing people around who want to support me, and sometimes I feel I should act more confidently. But everyone around me says not to change anything.

Leona Lewis: I'm never going to be loud and extravagant, I can't fake who I am.

Leona Lewis: I definitely have moments when I come home and shut the door and think that all I want to do is sing. But then I think, 'Wait a minute – how are people going to hear my music?' The bottom line is that if I can inspire, create awareness and help someone or an animal in any way, then it's all been worth it.

Leona Lewis: People tell me to do this and do that but I've learned to make tough decisions. I'm not always going to make the right decision, but I'll always learn from it.

Leona Lewis: I come from a very normal place with a normal family and I definitely stay true to that. There are moments when I'm like, 'Wow', but at the end of the day you need a reality check and mine is friends and family.

Leona Lewis: I love, love, love that song [Run by Snow Patrol] and I love Snow Patrol as a band, so I've really enjoyed getting my teeth stuck into the track and rearranging it.

Leona Lewis: I've always tried to make music a part of my life, ever since I was young. My mum was a ballet teacher and my dad was a DJ so I grew up around performing arts. I'd always incorporate music into everyday life. I'd be working as a receptionist and as a waitress to fund going into the studio and doing demos and recording.

Leona Lewis: I couldn't ask for someone more supportive [than Lou].

Leona Lewis: I've been doing music for a long time, so they [her family] are so proud to see me going into a studio everyday and seeing that work pay off.

Leona Lewis: I can't tell you the number of times people have put autotune on my voice, and I'm like, 'Please take it off!' You don't even sound human; it makes you sound like a robot!

Leona Lewis: I'm a positive person, but I'm very, very sensitive. Maybe over-sensitive. I cry in movies, reading books, anything to do with death, just people going through traumatic experiences, anything to do with animals will set me off.

Leona Lewis: I take it as far as it needs to go. I'm very passionate about animals. I just think it's the fact that they can't speak for themselves.

Leona Lewis: I definitely keep myself secret. I went on a show watched by millions of people, so this might sound ridiculous, but I had no desire to be famous, and I still don't. I have this media persona - 'She's a shy girl, really nice' – but you can't get to know someone like that. Unless you talk to me every day, you're not really going get a sense of me.

Leona Lewis: I definitely want to adopt. My mother was a social worker and my dad was a youth offender officer, so I know that there are a lot of kids out there that need help. When I was in Africa [in 2008], I wanted to take home all the kids. They were so cute. All of them had been orphaned because of HIV and it was heartbreaking.

Leona Lewis: (on people who wear fur) It's such an old school way of doing things. I can't begin to imagine that people who know all these animals have been killed to make a coat can still wear it. There must be something seriously wrong with them.

Leona Lewis: (on African poverty) We have everything. They have nothing. I feel so moved and so saddened, but also hopeful that we can all help in some way.

Leona Lews: (on meeting Oprah Winfrey) To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I am such an Oprah fan. I love the show and truly respect her and all the great charity work she does. It was a real honour to be on the show.

Leona Lewis: (on why she named her debut album "Spirit") It is my heart and soul and the voice within that says everything is possible.

Leona Lewis: (on meeting Whitney Houston for the first time at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party) It's been almost surreal and feels just so wonderful that I performed in front of so many people I admire - especially that Whitney even knows who I am and said that about me when I've been such a fan all these years!

Leona Lewis: I wouldn't lose weight for my career. And I wouldn't have surgery either. I'm happy in my own skin. You have to be healthy and I'm proud of my curves.

Leona Lewis: (about recording her debut album) I've been treated as my own person. I've not been given a formula to follow. I had the time to find my feet and co-write a lot of material.

Leona Lewis: Winning The X Factor would be like a dream come true. It would mean the world to me and my family.

Leona Lewis: (on the X Factor) It's like a fairy tale.

Leona Lewis: (about The X Factor) I gained confidence coming here every week and seeing the audience and that has made me come more out myself. Through performing, that's how I've gained confidence.

Leona Lewis: (about her opinion on the X Factor) Each week on the show my confidence has got stronger. All I've ever wanted is to be a singer and I never thought it would happen.

Leona Lewis: (singing Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This") Some people search forever for that one special kiss.

Leona Lewis: I feel like my dream has come true, the dream I've been dreaming since a little girl has come true.