Nicole Scherzinger Covers Cosmopolitan UK September 2012

Nicole Scherzinger glams up Cosmopolitan's UK September 2012 issue. In the accompanying interview, the 34-year-old songstress opens up to the magazine and talks about a wide range of topics including boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, starting a family, X Factor, trust, and working hard. Check out these highlights from her interview!

Nicole Scherzinger glams up Cosmopolitan's UK September 2012 issue. In the accompanying interview, the 34-year-old songstress opens up and talks about a wide range of topics including boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, trust, X Factor, and working hard. "My family wasn't given anything for free. We only knew one word: work. I don't know when to stop," Nicole confesses.

The gorgeous starlet admits that she wasn't always that strong. "No. I was always insecure. I was blessed with having drive [to be a singer] from a young age and I was successful in all the theatre stuff I did. But I found many of my classmates didn't like many young women - I wanted everyone to like me; I was really soft-spoken and unsure. It wasn't until I went through some tough times I changed," she told the magazine.

On her relationship with Lewis Hamilton, Nicole reveals that, "We're there for one another even though we have long, enduring schedules. But you have to be there for your mate, you know?"

Dishing on what he taught her about life, the singer says that, "Well, I didn't know anything about Formula One until I met him [laughs]. We're from similar upbringings, so we share a similar outlook. We're kindred spirits and hearts - that's what ultimately connects us. I'm very close with his family too; we're all close."

But what does she think it's important in a relationship? "Ultimately, you want to be with someone you can be yourself around. My grandma taught me the person you want to be with isn't going to be Prince Charming - it's going to be the person you're going to be able to work on a relationship with. It's always a work in progress, like everything," Nicole told Cosmopolitan.

Asked whether she is ready to start a family, the beautiful brunette admitted that, "I always read in the papers that 'Nicole wants babies', and I've never said I wanted babies now [laughs]. I'm not ready yet, but as I come from a big family, one day I'd like to have my own."

In the cover story, Nicole confesses that her mother is her inspiration. "My mum is my everything. Recently she came to UK and I took her to an X Factor audition in Newcastle. It was the first stamp on her passport. That was really special. I thought it was going to be too much for her because it was a short trip, but she was so excited," she says.

What about her secrets on always looking so good? "I've lived many years of being strict with my diet. But now I'm about balance. So I eat sweets, cakes and I work hard. I loved the cake so much yesterday [on her Cosmo cover shoot] I asked for the recipe - it was beautiful," she explains.

Well, Nicole says that she is now at her happiest and she can now enjoy life. "I'm probably in one of the best places of my life. Life gets easier the more you've been through. I wasn't able to always enjoy things because I worked too hard. Now I'm able to enjoy life, it's awesome. And I have so many things I still want to accomplish. I always say, 'I'm just getting started,'" she told the magazine.

Read Nicole's complete interview in the September 2012 issue of Cosmopolitan UK.