When Ella Henderson entered The X Factor back in 2012, she was just 16. She may have only finished sixth, but her debut album flew to the top of the charts in 2014 and brought Ella fame and success.

Now, nearly eight years later, the 26-year-old explains to OK! why she took a step back from the limelight and chose not to release another album until she’d experienced more of life. “I’ve dated toads, I’ve dated tool bags, I’ve had highs and lows. The good, the bad, the ugly, everything is in this album,” she says.

As she gears up to releasing her latest effort – Everything I Didn’t Say – Ella, who is from a small village called Tetney in Lincolnshire – also chats about finding herself, finding love with her Olympian boyfriend Jack Burnell, and who she’s in touch with from her X Factor days…

Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!’s daily newsletter. You can sign up at the top of the page.

Hi Ella, you’re back with a new album. Tell us all about it…

I’m just excited to be back! It’s been seven years, so to finally be releasing my second album feels so refreshing. I just feel ready.

Why the long wait?

Everything happened so fast for me. I was so young and went on X Factor, and I released Ghost at 18. I came back from touring and promoting the album around the globe aged 21 and had nothing to write about that was relatable.

Taking a step back and having time to live and be a young woman was really important. That’s where this album began, it’s the last seven years of my life.

And you explore a lot of themes such as heartbreak and self-image on this album…

I guess it’s me bringing all my fans up to speed on what’s been going on in my life. There’s things that I never would have dared say before, or felt as comfortable saying when I was younger. And also more has happened to me. I feel ready to share it now.

One of the tracks, Ugly, is about you learning to love yourself…

I still feel as though I’m on a journey of self-growth and becoming more comfortable in my own skin. It starts off with me saying, “Too thin, too small. One day, I’ll fit in my jeans.”

Does that image relate back to anything?

When I was 21 there was an incident where I was photographed on a beach and it was the first time I felt like I’d ever been judged or viewed or scrutinised.

I never signed up to be this perfect Polly Pocket pop star. I always wanted to be a songwriter and I am a real girl. There’s nothing fake about me – I’m from the north. I want everyone to embrace their flaws, including myself. I’m still trying and learning to do that. Social media portrays so much that isn’t real.

There are a few break-up tracks on the album, but you’re happily loved-up with [Team GB swimmer] Jack Burnell now…

Yes. We’re really good. We were a lockdown success story! We met on an online dating app, and I’ve never looked back. The funniest thing about our relationship is that for the first eight to nine weeks, we didn’t physically meet. It was all done through a phone or FaceTime. We built up a great friendship and fell in love.

This year marks 10 years since you were on The X Factor . Are you still in touch with anyone?

Only Rylan Clark and James Arthur. No one will ever understand what we went through on that show. We have that bond for life. Rylan is like my naughty big brother and my agony aunt. He’s always had me under his wing. And James, he’s always there for me.

Everything I Didn’t Say is out on Friday. For more exclusive interviews, sign up to our daily OK! newsletter.