'SHE WAS ALWAYS BOUND FOR GREAT THINGS'

As the distinctive talents of Charli XCX triumph at the Grammys and lead the pack at this year's Brit Awards, we look at how the Brat star forged her stellar career

- KATIE DALY, ISABELLE CASEY & LAURA BENJAMIN

She is the Cambridge-born star who is taking the music industry storm on both sides of the Atlantic. And as Charli XCX and her Brat style dominate fashion and popular culture, not to mention the recent Brit and Grammy awards, those from her childhood remember a talented individual whose star was always destined to rise to the top.

The singer, 32, attended the feepaying Bishop's Stortford College in Hertfordshire, and one teacher there tells HELLO! exclusively: "There was a presence about Charli that was rare for her age. She walked into a room and lit it up, particularly when she was on stage, but that was also true in the classroom.

"Admirably, though, Charli was never a conformist - she did things her own way and remained true to herself and her principles, which she held on to firmly. Memorable, creative, hard-working and blessed with great integrity, she was always bound for great things."

Born Charlotte Emma Aitchison, she is the only child of nurse and flight attendant Shameera and entrepreneur and show booker Jon. Her mother was born into a Muslim family of Gujarati-Indian descent in Uganda and her father is Scottish.