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Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed the heartbreaking reason why her children are bullied at school.
The British singer, 46, known for her hit single 'Murder on the Dancefloor', has opened up about the 'really harsh' reality of secondary schools in the UK.
She shares five boys with her husband Richard Jones: Sonny, 19; Kit, 14; Ray, 11; Jesse, seven; and Mickey, four.
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Ellis-Bextor and Jones, 46, met when he was auditioning to join her band in 2002. They got married in 2005 and live in London with their sons.
On 'always wanting to be a mum,' she told the Big Issue last year: "I really liked the idea of being a young mum.
"I didn't know I was going to get pregnant when I did, though. I hadn't been dating Richard very long when I found out I was pregnant.
"It wasn't the easiest thing to be a new mum at 25 making pop music."
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The mum-of-five has candidly spoke about her children, including how her youngest kids have been bullied at school for a particular reason - their hair colour.
According to Ellis-Bextor, her kids have 'got some different shades of red', which can stop them 'blending in'.
She told Andreas Wild on her Salon Confidential podcast: "It's [bullying] definitely been something they've experienced, which is really harsh.
"You get to secondary school and anything that marks you out becomes the thing you will be teased about.
"It's extraordinary how you have this desire at that age group just to blend in, to be part of the pack. It's a really strong instinct."
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Ellis-Bextor suggested that communication is the best way of dealing with it all.
"But rather than letting it make you feel down, hopefully by having conversations, you can actually keep an eye on it and keep it on the right side of things," she added.
"And then you get a bit older and you're like, 'Actually, all those things about me that set me apart are the things I'll now give space to and invest in and enjoy myself.'
"My kids have got some different shades of red, but it's so gorgeous - and I can always find them so easily in a playground."
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The singer also credited her own parents, who are TV presenter Janet Ellis and film producer Robin Bextor, for letting her go on tour while she was still in secondary school.
"My parents were really cool. I do really appreciate that they put me into a private secondary school, and that was a big stretch, and I knew it was a big thing that they were doing for me," she said to Big Issue.
"So when I turned to them at the end and I was like, 'I’m not going to university, I’m going on tour' - credit to them, they were like, 'OK.'"
If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Anish Vij