Cheryl Cole says she has been targeted by online bullies and has been subjected to vicious attacks on Twitter and Facebook for more than a year.

Speaking to a group of teenagers helped by her charity, The Cheryl Cole Foundation, the 29-year-old said: "In the last few years, I've been bullied on Facebook and Twitter. It's evil and very public.

"People judge my appearance and hair, and say that I look fat."

She also said it was tough growing up on a Newcastle Council estate: "I get what these kids have gone through because I had a tough upbringing and I understand what it feels like to get bullied like some of them."

Earlier this week, TV couple Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford said they have been the targets of internet trolls, while in March, former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon said that he has been subjected to online abuse.