Leona Lewis reckons her tough, east London upbringing helped her get over being attacked at a book signing last month. The X Factor winner claims crime and violence were part of her daily life. She told The Sun: "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. There was always some kind of craziness going on in my neighbourhood." She added: "The boys were always fighting each other and there was loads of street crime. I know how to look after myself." Leona was assaulted as she signed copies of her autobiography Dreams at a Waterstones in Piccadilly, London. Peter Kowalczyk, 29, was charged with common assault and has since been sectioned. However, the incident left Leona's boyfriend, Hackney electrician Lou, fuming. She said: "He was really angry about it - everyone was. It brought out his protective side."
