British singer Leona Lewis has called for officials in the U.K. to ban one of the world's most famous horse races, insisting it is akin to bullfighting.

The Bleeding Love star hit headlines last month (Apr13) when she took to Twitter.com to slam bosses behind the Grand National steeplechase after two horses died preparing for the event.

Now she has elaborated on her dislike of the traditional sporting showpiece, which is held in England every year, branding it cruel and old-fashioned.

Lewis tells British magazine Hello!, "When something needs to be said, it needs to be said. I feel the Grand National is so old and outdated, it's like bullfighting.

"All the girls turn up in hats and nice dresses and people are betting, while animals are being run into the ground and just dying. It's disgusting, awful. They've got their pretty dresses on while these horses are getting broken necks, broken shoulders, being shot...

"What's sickening is that people make so much money out of it. But it's cruel, it's abusive and it's not fair."