Popstar Anne-Marie headed back to her former south Essex schools in an effort to hand out food to families in need.

The singer held foodbank initiatives at East Tilbury Primary and St Clere's School after teaming up with The Caring Family Foundation.

The charity has launched a Food From The Heart campaign to help the millions of children suffering with hunger in the UK.

It says around 4.5m youngsters are affected.

Anne-Marie, who is a coach on the TV show, The Voice, was said to be deeply saddened by the number of children going without food in south Essex and wanted to give back to the community where she grew up.

Echo:

She said: “I think what gets to me the most is that when I was younger, I wasn’t worrying about food, I was thinking about seeing my friends or playing football in the park. These kids should never have to be worried about food, ever”.

“I wish that people weren’t embarrassed or scared to admit that they can’t afford to eat or don’t have food at home. It’s not embarrassing, everyone is struggling in their own way, especially since the pandemic”.

“Coming back to these schools is an experience for me itself, let alone being able to help people at the same time. Being able to help these children has been a dream”.