The girl done good

Congratulations on your huge success so far. How has it been for you?

Leona Lewis: 'Totally amazing. It's been everything I expected and more. It really has been every girl's dream. I have to keep pinching myself!'

How does it feel coming home again?

Leona Lewis: 'It's always great coming home. I've been going back and forth between Hackney and America for a year now, so I've just about got used to it. Some people hate travelling, but I still think it's fun.'

Hackney must seem pretty paltry compared to Hollywood

Leona Lewis: 'Not at all, it's where I live!'

Is it weird slotting back into your old life when you come back?

Leona Lewis: 'Kind of. It's not like I have people camping outside my house, but I do get recognised when I'm out shopping. But I don't mind that. Generally, people just want to say hi and congratulations. I'm lucky that I've never had any trouble. Everyone in my area knows I live there, so they leave me alone.'

What about the violence in London now, doesn't that put you off?

Leona Lewis: 'No. Most of my friends have been shot, stabbed or beaten up. Not so much the girls but the guys I know. There was a 17-year-old boy who was shot dead before Christmas. I didn't know him but he lived in my area. My heart goes out to his family; he was way too young.

It makes you take stock and realise you can't take anything for granted. You have to appreciate life. But all of my friends have been involved in some kind of trouble growing up. It's part of being young in London.'

What about you, have you ever had any gangland trouble?

Leona Lewis: 'No, thankfully.'

How did you escape being a victim of violence?

Leona Lewis: 'I suppose because I had something I was passionate about, I always had a goal, which kept me off the streets. My parents weren't properly strict with me but they had ground rules, like when it was dark out, they wanted me at home.

They didn't need to tell me twice, though. I was a good kid and realised early on that if I showed them I was responsible, they'd give me more leeway on things. The worst punishment I ever got was a telling-off for being late!'

Did your parents set you on the path to success?

Leona Lewis: 'I'm really close to them. My mum's a social worker and my dad's a young offenders officer, and I'm forever grateful that they realised my love of singing and bent over backwards financially to send me to stage school when I was six.

I got so much experience there, it was just brilliant. When I was 12 I went to an inner-city school for a couple of years, which was fine. I didn't get involved in any trouble because I was so focused on my singing; I wasn't interested in anything else. From 14 to 17 I went to the BRIT School with Katie Melua.'