X Factor star Leona Lewis has paid tribute to the mean streets of Hackney, telling how her tough upbringing has prepared her to face anything — even attackers in Waterstone's.

Bouncing back: Leona Lewis has “moved on” after her assault

Lewis, 24, said seeing street crime and gang fights had made her “hard” as she told how she has bounced back from being punched in the face during a book singing.

“I'm from Hackney, so I'm hard. I'm not going to let something like that bother me. When you grow up where I did, you learn to move on,” she told The Sun.

“There was always some kind of craziness going on in my neighbourhood. There were boys always fighting each other and there was loads of street crime. I know how to look after myself. The part of London where I grew up has the highest crime rates in the country.”

The singer has previously said how she is “proud to be Hackney girl”. And while Hackney does traditionally have an image of high crime, this is not borne out by statistics.

According to the Metropolitan Police London crime map, Hackney is ranked ninth in the capital with an average crime rate.

Lewis was attacked as she signed copies of her autobiography, Dreams, at Waterstone's, Piccadilly, last month. Peter Kowalczyk, 29, of Waterloo, was charged with common assault but was then deemed unfit to appear before magistrates and has been sectioned.

Lewis, who won the talent show in 2006, is busy preparing for her first live tour and has put the assault behind her. She said: “It's horrible, no matter who you are, to be physically attacked but I'm not letting it worry me.”