From the moment she waltzed into the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom last year, Alexandra Burke endured a rocky ride, as she was hit by rumours of diva-like behaviour and feuds with fellow contestants.
The former X Factor winner also found herself the target of internet trolls, who went as far as to describe her tears over the loss of her mum, just two months before starting the show, as ‘fake’.
Now, almost six months on, Alexandra finally feels strong enough to fight back.
During a heartbreaking appearance on Loose Women, during which she performed a new single dedicated to her mother, Alexandra once again vehemently denied all claims – especially a rumoured falling out with fellow contestant, Gemma Atkinson.
“No feud, as you know” she said bluntly.
“I find it bizarre how stories can me made up with no truth. It blows my mind.
“We [her and partner Gorka Marquez] never saw anyone. You’re in your own bubble.
“It was nonsense. He was always with me in the rehearsal studio, ten hours a day,” she added.
Read more: Alexandra Burke breaks down in tears on Loose Women while discussing her mum’s death
Alexandra, 29, went on to say the constant unfair rumours about her were hurtful, especially when she was having such a good time on Strictly.
“Reading all of that, it was hurtful. It was just there. In all of my mentions, I then had people trolling me with Twitter and Instagram comments… you can’t kind of escape it,” she revealed.
“I did keep my silence for a long time, 11 weeks on the show. I’m not going to fight fire with fire. I was having a great time. Everyone around all of us on Strictly, they’re so supportive.
“Not just contestants, everyone backstage, the production company. They got us through week by week. I can’t thank them enough.”
Alexandra also said her bravery after losing her mum was cruelly misinterpreted as a ‘fake’ on-screen persona.
“I just remember the day we did the red carpet reveal, that was the day mum passed… in the early hours of that morning, no one knew,” she said.
“I went on stage, smile on my face, and left everything for behind the scenes. That’s the way mum has taught me to be. Maybe it’s not the right way. She’s always said to me – had me in training – ‘When the camera is on, you’re ready, put that smile on your face’.
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“That’s why the lyrics [of new singe The Truth Is] are ‘stand up straight and put the smile on my face and pull back my shoulders’, because that’s how I’ve been trained to be.”
Alexandra’s new album, The Truth Is, is out now.
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