CelebSpice

The 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' recently got an etching on her back in tribute to her love of horses and she wrote the words for it herself.

Leona - who has another tattoo on the inside of her left wrist which is an Arabic message about love - said: "I got another one that goes halfway down my back recently.

"It's a poem - about horses. The last bit is a quote but I made up the rest. Their beauty captures every eye/ A gift from God for all mankind/ They lend us wings so we may fly/ To ride a horse is to ride the sky."

Although the 24-year-old pop star is delighted with new inking, her boyfriend Lou Al Chamaa was less impressed by the lengthy tattoo.

Leona Lewis is scared of Simon Cowell.

The 'Bleeding Love' singer - who shot to fame after winning the music mogul's UK TV talent show 'The X Factor' in 2006 - admitted she has remained close to her mentor, but is still nervous about how he will react to her music.

Speaking about recording some new material, she said: "He didn't come to the studio but I'd play him songs down the phone. It's scary and you think, 'Please like it!'

"We've formed more of a bond and we can be honest with each other."

As well as Simon, Leona says she has lots of celebrity friends, in particular Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney and his family.

She said: "I have a relationship with the McCartneys. I respect their values and their opinions about vegetarianism because I'm a vegetarian. They're really cool people."

Leona Lewis thinks sexy texting is a "dumpable" offence.

The 'Bleeding Love' singer - who has been dating Lou Al-Chamaa for five years - is outraged by men who send raunchy messages to people other than their girlfriends, and thinks it is as bad as infidelity.

She said: "Is it as bad as cheating? Yes, as it could lead to something else - why did they have a girl's number in the first place? There's obviously some intention.

"It's a dumpable offence, for sure."

The 24-year-old beauty says she and former electrician Lou keep their relationship on track by showing their "appreciation" for one another and spending time together on romantic dates.

She explained: "I'm a romantic but I like to be private about my romantic life. I like doing stuff such as going for meals. I think you should show your appreciation all the time.

"We're always communicating. I love Blackberry Messenger!"

Leona believes part of their romantic success is that their relationship is grounded in a solid friendship.

Discussing her secrets to a successful romance, she quipped to more! magazine: "I guess I'm still discovering that myself, but trust, friendship and having fun are key.

Leona Lewis always packs a suitcase full of food.

The 'Bleeding Love' hitmaker - who is preparing to embark on her first ever headline tour - admits she finds working outside the UK for months at a time very tough and tries to ensure she is surrounded by as many home comforts as possible.

She said: "The worst thing is missing home. Like anyone who has to travel for their work, you do get a bit homesick sometimes. So I travel with my PG Tips tea and my baked beans."

While Leona - who is vegetarian - loves taking her favourite foods away with her, she has insisted she doesn't worry about her diet or looking slim as long as she is healthy.

Simon Cowell is becoming vegetarian for Leona Lewis.

The music mogul has been persuaded by the 'Bleeding Love' singer - who he mentored on UK TV talent show 'The X Factor' in 2006 - to support Sir Paul McCartney's Meat Free Mondays campaign, in which people give up eating animal products once a week.

Leona - who met the Beatles legend at the end of last year to discuss getting Simon involved - said: "Anything I ask Simon to get involved in regarding my charity and environmental concerns he always does. He's cool like that."

Simon - who recently got engaged to make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy - joins other committed vegetarian stars Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Kevin Spacey and Woody Harrelson in supporting Paul's cause.

Lily Allen has slammed pop star search shows.

The 'Not Fair' singer claims the popular programmes, which include Simon Cowell's flagship UK programme 'The X Factor', are nothing more than prolonged adverts to sell records.

She wrote on her twitter page: "It's a tv show. a vehicle created for pop acts to sell more records at a difficult time of year. Don't delude yourself. (sic)"

Lily has had a good week winning the British Female Solo Artist prize at the BRIT Awards on Tuesday night (16.02.10).

But some of her twitter followers are unhappy with her win and think Leona Lewis - who shot to fame after winning the 2006 series of 'The X Factor' - was a more deserving nominee.

Country singer Taylor Swift (pictured) has said she is 'so excited' to be nominated for eight Grammys but hasn't picked her dress yet. The 19-year-old Love Story star is up for eight gongs at the ceremony on January 31 and said she is looking forward to it.

She said: "I get nervous about everything! I am just so excited to be nominated for eight Grammys. That is sort of still unfathomable for me.
"I've never won one Grammy, so please wish me luck. I'm performing too, so hopefully that comes together." Talking about her dress, she said: "I still have to find something to wear! But I think it'll all come together that day before!"

More music notes...Leona Lewis is set to perform on the UK version of talent show So You Think You Can Dance. Lewis, 24, has achieved a number one single in more than 34 countries and will sing her latest track I Got You on the BBC show.
Other performers who have graced the stage on the show include Alexandra Burke, JLS, Mika and Lemar, and Robbie Williams is set for the finale of the series on February 13.
The show is hosted by British presenter Cat Deeley and over the first four episodes of the series, it has gained an average rating of 6.1 million viewers.

Martin Scorsese listens to Leona Lewis' songs everyday because she gets his "blood pumping".

The Oscar-winning director approached the British songstress at the Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills on Sunday (17.01.10) to tell her he is a huge fan of her hit track 'Bleeding Love' because it inspires his exercise regime.

A source said: "Leona couldn't believe it when Martin sought her out at the awards. He was charm personified and told her he listens to 'Bleeding Love' every single day when he goes out jogging.

"He said he thinks it's an utterly terrific track and really gets his blood pumping."

This will be welcome news for the 24-year-old singer as Leona recently admitted she wanted to try her hand at acting, like singer-and-actress Beyonce Knowles.

Leona Lewis feared for her life after being caught up in the middle of gun-wielding criminals.

The 'Bleeding Love' singer was left "shaking like a leaf" after she stopped for coffee in Los Angeles with her manager Nicola Carson and entourage and ended up in the midst of a police chase and arrest.

She is quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as telling a friend: "It was really frightening. One minute we were stopping for drinks, the next there was police and guns everywhere. It came completely out of the blue and was absolutely terrifying.

"I really thought the guys might start shooting. I was shaking like a leaf afterwards."

The 24-year-old star and her team had stopped to visit a Starbucks coffee shop whilst on their way to Los Angeles' LAX Airport.

The group had just pulled over when a car - which had been involved in a high-speed chase with police - screeched to a halt next to them and two men with handguns came running past. Nicola had just climbed out the vehicle and Leona was close behind her.

As the drama unfolded, the singer's security team quickly forced her back into the car for her own safety.

A source said: "Two men brandishing guns jumped out of their car, right next to Leona's. Armed cops, who had been in hot pursuit, captured them. But in the chaos bystanders were also sent flying.

Paula Abdul X-Factor? - "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell said on Monday he was quitting the top-rated Fox TV show in May to launch his own singing contest, "The X Factor" next year.

The acerbic Cowell, one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in reality TV, confirmed rampant speculation that he was bringing a U.S. version of his British show "The X Factor" to News Corp-owned <NWSA.O> Fox in the fall of 2011.

Cowell, 50, whose sarcastic quips are arguably one of the biggest factors in "American Idol"s six-year reign as the most-watched TV show in the United States, said he would be both a judge and the executive producer of "The X Factor".

But Cowell told TV reporters at a Fox presentation he was confident that "American Idol" would continue to do well without him when his contract ends in May 2010.

The ninth season of the show starts on Tuesday, with Cowell in place and new judge Ellen DeGeneres joining Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.

Original "Idol" judge Paula Abdul quit last summer in a dispute over the renewal of her contract -- and Cowell hinted on Monday that Abdul might join him on "The X Factor".

"I adore Paula. Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity because I miss her," he said.

Cowell said he had been offered "a lot of money" to renew his contract with "American Idol", whose average audiences have slipped from 30.8 million in 2006 to 26.3 million in 2009.

"But I felt like doing something different. I want to leave 'Idol' this year bigger and better than before," he said.

"We did talk about me staying on both shows, but when we looked at the practicalities of that, it was impossible."

"I believe it ('Idol') is not my show, but it's still very close to me...I am confident it will continue to be the No.1 show," he said.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SHOWS

Fox said "The X Factor" -- the top-rated show in the UK and with an audience of 500 million in 17 other nations -- would be broadcast in the fall of 2011, with "American Idol" keeping its traditional spring time slot.

Fox said it had no replacement yet for Cowell. Media speculation has focused on "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan, who is also British, and singer Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Last May, 49 percent of fans questioned in an AOL TV poll said they would no longer watch "Idol" without Cowell.

But Fox executives on Monday expressed confidence in the show's potential to attract huge ratings and said they planned to continue broadcasting it for many years to come.

"We are very buoyant about where the show is going to be this season. Every year 'Idol' has increased its lead over the No. 2 show," said Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly.

"American Idol" has created Grammy-winning stars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood and is shown live or tape delayed in more than 100 nations.

In Britain, "The X Factor" discovered Leona Lewis in 2006, who had an international hit with "Bleeding Love", while Cowell's other TV venture, "Britain's Got Talent", made an international star last year out of dowdy Scottish singer Susan Boyle. Both were signed to Cowell's own record label.

Cowell said "X Factor" differed from "American Idol" by including both younger and older singers, groups and duos. The show's judges also act as mentors to the singers, but viewers vote on which contestants will be eliminated.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)