Sugababes singer Jade Ewen is bankrupt.

The 27-year-old star - who replaced Keisha Buchanan in the group in 2009 - reportedly owes thousands of pounds to the tax office and has declared the legal status because she cannot repay the debt owed.

And it is believed the star's money woes began when she ''fell victim'' to the natural shelf life of the band because she joined when the music had dried up.

A source told The Sun: ''Jade put her all into her music but sadly things simply haven't gone well.

''She joined the Sugababes full of optimism and had high hopes given the band were very much established in the charts. But it seems she fell victim to their shelf life expiring.''

In 2013 Jade revealed the band - who had five members during their 13 year run and a string of UK hits including 'Round Round' and 'Freak Like Me' - were not getting back together after ''fizzling out two years ago''.

She said: ''I kind of was unlucky in that I came in [to Sugababes] towards the end of the cycle when things naturally came to the end.''

Original member Mutya Buena also declared herself bankrupt last year after blaming an administrative error for not paying tax.

However it looks like Jade won't be poor for long and has since made the jump into movies.

She said on Twitter: ''On my way to Romania to shoot my first ever action movie 'End Of A Gun' with Steven Seagal! Wish me luck.(sic)''