Tulisa Contostavlos says her music saved her. File picture: Ian West/PA

The X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos has described how she fell under the spell of a drug dealer, and how she lost her virginity at 14.

The N-Dubz singer reveals the details in her new book Honest, which is being serialised exclusively by The Sun newspaper this week.

In an extract she writes: “If I hadn’t been saved by music, I’d most likely be living with a drug dealer on a rough council estate.”

Tulisa continues: “I can still count on my fingers and toes the number of guys I’ve slept with.

“A good percentage of those encounters happened between the ages of 14 and 17 and that felt like a lot, even at the time.

“Despite my street-girl persona, I was totally into the idea of fairytale romance.

“I wore my heart on my sleeve and I was ready to give my all if I thought I was going to get love in return.

“Of course, it wasn’t the right way to go about things, because any attention and affection I got from those men was usually only temporary, but it took me a while to learn that lesson.”

Honest, My Story So Far by Tulisa is being serialised in The Sun this week and is out on Thursday.