Ellie Goulding Speaks of Hatred for Her Stepfather

Despite topping the BBC Sound of 2010 poll and scooping the Critics Choice Award at the 2010 Brit Awards, the rise to the top for Ellie Goulding has been anything but easy. Speaking to The Sun, the 23-year-old singer has spoken of a harsh childhood that included visits from bailiffs and an overcrowded council house.

The singer, whose debut album, 'Lights,' hit No. 1 in the UK album charts, claims that these problems paled into insignificance when compared to her stepfather, a man she has come to loathe.

"We didn't have much money and my stepdad was horrible. He wasn't strict and he wasn't drunk, he just wasn't very intelligent," she said.

"He had no brains at all. He was a lorry driver with a tattoo of a bulldog smoking a spliff. The other tattoo he had was a snake with a dagger through it."

She continued, "If I ever saw him again I think I'd punch him in the face. I don't know why my mum was with him, to be honest. I think it was because he was willing to take on four kids. But they never got on. She was with him for about 15 years."

Her hatred for he stepfather encouraged her to knuckle down at school in an attempt to gain enough qualifications to get her into higher education and away from home.

"It was horrible. I was desperate to get out so I got really stuck in at school and tried my best to get a great education."