Sarah Harding misunderstood?

Sarah Harding says she’s misunderstood.

The Girls Aloud singer insists stories of her wild partying are greatly exaggerated. Although the 27-year-old star admits she used to spend most of her evenings in nightclubs, she revealed it was her way of dealing with issues in her personal life.

“When I was a lot younger I was probably going through a hard time,” she told UK talk show host Jonathan Ross. “A lot of stuff is misconstrued, I love to go out and have fun but I'm at my most comfortable when I'm at home, don't have to care what I look like.”

Sarah is now channelling her excess energy into acting. She is enjoying taking time away from Girls Aloud to concentrate on her new career, but insists it isn’t the end of the British band. The group – comprising Sarah, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle – were put together on a TV talent show in 2002, and Sarah admits they all feel the need to take time to pursue individual projects.

She said: “I'm not saying I don't want to sing any more but everyone knows I'm a bit of a drama queen, I really enjoy a new challenge this is what I want to do.

“Girls Aloud are simply taking a break, we all felt it was time. We said about a year, but we're going to see. We've grown up in the spotlight, we never thought we'd stick around.”