Ellie Goulding goes running to prepare for the end of the world.

The 25-year-old singer has been an avid sprinter for several years and says it is because she want to be prepared for the apocalypse.

She said: ''I go running - so I'll be ready when the world ends. Running is hugely important in my life and has been since I was 18. I woke up one morning and decided that running should be my thing. For me, it's about more than keeping fit.

''I'm preparing myself. As a kid I'd lie awake at night and convince myself that a meteor was about to hit the Earth. It's my fatalistic streak, which I've inherited from my mum.

''I firmly believe something cataclysmic is going to happen in my lifetime and I have to be prepared to run for my life when the time comes. Next year I hope to run my first marathon. Unless the world ends before I get the chance.''

The 'Starry Eyed' hitmaker also revealed that she collects dead animals, with her favourite being a dead cow she nailed to her wall.

She added to Live magazine: ''I've always had a dark turn of mind. I blame my dad, who worked in a mortuary. He was obsessed with murder cases and would assemble these files that were packed with gruesome photographs.

''He'd let me look at them and I'm sure that's what led to me thinking dark thoughts. At a young age I was preoccupied with beheadings and things like that. I'd only have to look at a David Attenborough documentary to imagine giant ants taking over the world.''