British singer Ellie Goulding has opened up about her relationship with her estranged father on her new album.

The Starry Eyed hitmaker's dad Arthur walked out on the family when she was aged five, and Goulding has not seen him in years.

The 25 year old admits she used to be "very bitter" about their relationship, and she has channelled her emotions into songwriting sessions for her latest release, Halcyon.

She tells Britain's Sunday Mirror, "I've not seen him for years and that won't change. We didn't fall out, we just stopped seeing each other really, and now it's been too long.

"None of us have really seen him and I don't know where he is or what he's doing but I hope he's happy, sort of. I used to be very bitter about him and I've written two songs about him. One's called I Know You Care. That chapter is a tough one."