POP star Cher Lloyd shares a harrowing story of being 'upskirted' by photographers on Rylan's new podcast.

The Malvern singer talks to television personality Rylan on his new podcast Ry-Union about how often she was upskirted - pictures taken from underneath someone's skirt - and chased by 20 to 25 male paparazzi.

Cher said: "I found it extremely challenging. At times I'd get really angry. I felt angry because I'd go to a rehearsal, leave the studio, and chased on my own, chased by a group of 20 to 25 men with cameras.

"I just felt really vulnerable.

"There'd be a chaperone person for everyone as a group, of course, we were underage.

"But at times, from walking to the studio or a car, you'd be alone. That didn't stop. The sheer amount of paparazzi would wait outside of those studios. I just always remember knowing not to wear a skirt without shorts."

When Rylan asked if it happened when she was 16 she replies: "At 16 years. That was the way forward. I knew that, ok, this is going to happen.

"[It happened] so many times. So many times. Yeah, it was brutal back then. It's not like how it is now."

"You'd go to get in the car and the first thing they'd do was place the camera below.

"It happened all the time and I just think, I spent a lot of time being very frustrated that I felt alone."

The 28-year-old from Malvern also spoke of her relationship with One Direction and how she wouldn’t want a Ry-Union with Louis Walsh.

She also opens up about her naivety going into X Factor, how her family wasn’t supported, how she was made out to be a character and her iconic performance of Shakespears Sister’s Stay, and how she found herself on the show.

Rylan then reunites her with choreographer Brian Freeman who talks about why the pressure was on for Cher’s season with talks of X Factor moving to the USA.

Cher Lloyd rose to fame in 2010 aged just 16 when she came fourth in The X Factor.

Talking about the overnight fame on the pdocast, the mum-of-one said: "'I don't think anything can prepare you for it.

"I just had it in my head that posters, well they just get on stage and sing. And everything is fantastic.

"They're happy all the time and got everything they wanted. And I just didn't realise what comes along with that. I think I was so naive.

"I'd never been through having any negativity towards my voice or me in that way.

"All I can say that it felt like, is that I'd been pushed on to a stage and then all the lights came on. But I wasn't prepared. Like I was naked.

"I think the hardest thing is going from having a family and support system to having nothing, at all. It's really frightening.

"You have no control over anything that's happening. It's scary."

Listen to Ry-Union with Rylan, brought to you by Sky Bingo on Apple, Spotify and all podcast providers