Rising to fame as one third of London hip-hoppers N-Dubz, Tulisa Contostavlos became a household name after taking over from Cheryl Cole on the eighth series of The X Factor. Tulisa’s story is a true rags-to-riches one - she was brought up in a rough council estate in Camden, witness to violence, drug and alcohol abuse and bullying. Her home life was also difficult, as she became a carer to her mother, twice tring to kill herself as a teen and self-harmed as a way of coping with stress. Her uncle spotted her struggling though and enrolled her at fourteen into the same school as cousin Dappy and friend Fazer, with whom she would later form N-Dubz with. The three had already begun to cut their musical teeth performing around Camden as Lickle Rinsers Crew. Eventually regrouping as NW1, then N-Dubz, they started to grab mainstream attention. 2008 single Ouch launched them as a major musical force to be reckoned with and debut album Uncle B was heard blaring out of car windows and mobile phones up and down the land. Tulisa famously had a feud with La Roux’s Elly Jackson as the band continued their chart domination. Her outspoken nature and ghetto-princess chic evidently grabbed the attention of someone important, as she was chosen in 2011 to join the judging panel of The X Factor - and despite her humble beginnings, Tulisa became the star of the show winning the show with group Little Mix.