Convinced she was ugly, Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts used fake tan. Now she’s getting vocal on the danger of sunbeds

Nicola Roberts always felt like the ugly one in Girls Aloud. Partly it was her age – when the group was formed by a reality TV show in 2002, she was only 16 and struggling with the normal insecurities of any teenage girl. Overnight, the red-haired girl from Runcorn was catapulted into the public eye and posing for photo-shoots alongside four preternaturally gorgeous band-mates, including Cheryl Cole. But mostly, Roberts says, she felt ugly because of her pale skin.

“I used to do fake tanning because I was told that I didn’t look great,” she explains. “Being brown is something that people find attractive so I thought at least I could make that piece of the jigsaw fit. The newspapers would always refer to the other girls like ’stunning Sarah [Harding]‘ and I never had that prefix. I wanted that, at 16.”

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Nicola Roberts is set to appear on Radio One this Sunday. She will be on ‘The Surgery with Aled’ talking about her documentary on sun beds and tanning.

The show is broadcasted on Sunday 31st January 10pm till 12.

Nicola was seen at the Dorchester hotel last night for the South Bank Awards. I’ve added 5 candids to the gallery, click the above to view them.

I’ve added 8 images of Nicola leaving the Mayfair hotel a few days ago on the 22nd January. Click the thumbs to view them all.

Nicola was joined by Kimberley Walsh to talk about their performance on last years Brit Awards, on a show aired last night called ‘BRITs Hits 30′.

Click the picture above to view the video online.

Screencaps: http://www.nicolaroberts.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=941

The name for the show has changed again, and now seems to be called ‘The Truth about Tanning’. Here is a preview clip of Nicola in an operating room!

Nicola tweeted via @welovepop (Fascination Records) earlier today.

Nicola here. I’m up north to do the last days filming for my doc. Its been fun, sad and squeamish – but I’ve loved every minute of it!!

I’m now covered in make up, testing Dainty Doll samples for urgent approval! Up against the clock now. Nic x

Here is a new picture of Nicola Roberts with computer-generated skin damage! Scary! The pictue is for her documentary show, ‘The Truth About Tanning’.

Thanks to @tomcrooks on Twitter who will be on the show, and he has informed us it will be on TV on Thursday 4th February at 9.00-10.00pm BBC THREE

We just found these gorgeous candids of Nicola leaving her hotel on the 13th with her 2 puppies!

Click the thumbs to see 16 pictures in the gallery.

YOUNGSTERS are risking their health by using sunbeds up to twice a DAY, says Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts.

The pale beauty, now filming a BBC3 documentary called The Truth About Tanning, says teens are in the grips of a deadly epidemic in their bid to be bronzed.

MPs will soon vote to outlaw unsupervised booths, and yesterday MP Julie Morgan launched a Private Member’s Bill to ban salon sunbeds for under 18s. Health Secretary Andy Burnham gave the Government’s backing.

It follows a Sun campaign – backed by cancer charities and MPs Sian James and Julie Morgan – to ban unsupervised booths.

Nicola, 24, backs tighter rules on sunbeds.

Here she tells why.

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