Mutya Buena has confessed she'd still be in the Sugababes if former bandmates Heidi and Keisha had given her more room to be a mum.

The newly solo star, whose debut album is released this June, admitted she left the group because she was suffering from postnatal depression after her daughter Tahlia was born - a situation which drove her apart from the other girls.

She told RWD magazine, "Everything became a downer and I just couldn't be bothered. But it did get to the point where I couldn't take it any more and it was horrible. All you know is that you feel down and you want to cry."

And she says there was one particular incident, when Tahlia was poorly, when she realised she couldn't be a mum and a 'Babe.

"My daughter got ill and we had to do a show," she explained, "so when those things started happening I think people started getting frustrated with me. I told them I would not choose between my daughter and my work... I don't think the girls could relate to that."

However, she says she had no hard feeling towards her former bezzies.

"What would have been perfect is if the girls had left me a tiny bit alone. If they'd just given me more time I'd love to still be in the Sugababes."

With collaborations with George Michael, Groove Armada and Amy Winehouse all under her belt, we reckon Mutya is doing pretty nicely as it is.

'SLJ'
'27/03/07'