Leona Lewis will "definitely adopt children"

The `Bleeding Love` hitmaker doesn`t know if she`ll have kids of her own but is determined to give a disadvantaged child a home after learning about her mum`s childhood spent in care.

Leona describes her mother Maria as a "hero" for her providing her with a wonderful home and giving her a sense of family unity.

Leona said: "My mum is a hero to me, that`s given me a very strong sense of family loyalty to those I trust. I will definitely adopt children. I`m not sure if I want my own."

The 28-year-old is a strict vegetarian and a campaigner for animals rights and she claims she is closer to animals than she is to humans.

Leona has adopted many animals and helps many charities, such as the Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, and believes her behaviour is directly linked to her mother`s life in a children`s home.

Speaking to The Times newspaper, she explained: "I am 100 per cent convinced that adopting animals is a result of my mum?s childhood experiences.

"Her mum died and her dad wasn`t there, so she and her three brothers were taken to a children`s home in Penarth in Wales.

"They grew up there and were never adopted. Who`s going to adopt four children in one go? I am very close to my mum and I think that`s where my protective feelings come from."

sections: Celebrities