Alexandra Burke has opened up about how her battle with confidence nearly made her quit Strictly Come Dancing.
The singer, 29, endured a rocky ride during last year’s edition of the competition, as she was hit by rumours of diva-like behaviour and feuds with fellow contestants – all of which she vehemently denied.
Speaking on Friday’s Lorraine about her time on Strictly, Alexandra said she “put on a front” but was accused of being “arrogant and overconfident” because of it.
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“It was hard on Strictly,” she told presenter Lorraine Kelly. “There was a point where I wanted to not do the show a few weeks from the final because of the accusations.
“I put up a front. I’ve been accused of being arrogant and overconfident because of it.”
Alexandra revealed she asked her brother if doing the show was “worth my happiness,” to which he replied, “look how much you’ve overcome. Let’s keep going!”
The star said her confidence issues “stopped me from doing a lot” and she regrets “not taking a leap of faith” with certain things.
“I’m taking each day as it comes,” Alexandra said. “My anxiety has gone through the roof due to personal life situations but I’m trying my best to be open about it and encourage people to talk about their issues.”
The former X Factor winner revealed recording her latest single, The Truth Is, helped her get through the hard times.
“That’s why I called new single The Truth Is,” she explained. “If me and you spoke about certain things I would be too scared, but I can do it through singing.
“The song is about my mum and wrote it before she passed. I’m thankful she heard it. It’s deep for me.”
Alexandra’s mum Melissa Bell passed away on August 28, just before Alexandra was due to start filming Strictly.
A couple of days after her mum’s death, the star vowed to continue doing the show because her mum would have wanted her to.
And she stuck to her word and ended up being one of the show’s four finalists.
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Unfortunately, she missed out on wining the Glitterball trophy to Joe McFadden but she called the experience a dream.
Speaking about her time on the show, Alexandra said she still doesn’t know what she did wrong “to make people think that way about me.”
“All you can do is be yourself,” she added. “I’m just a girl from North London and living a great dream. Life is about happiness.
“I’m enjoying what life has to offer and taking it one day at a time.”
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