Alexandra Burke has slammed viewers of Strictly Come Dancing who say she’s ‘fake’ on the show.
The former X Factor winner has been a huge success on this year’s show, regularly appearing on the leaderboard with dance partner Gorka Marquez after repeatedly impressing the judges with their routines. The star, 29, whose mother tragically passed away just weeks before the show’s launch, hasn’t been afraid to show her emotions on-screen, constantly breaking into tears and being very vocal about missing her mother.
On the show’s opening episode in September, Alexandra burst into tears after performing the waltz. On October 14, she was awarded the first three 10s of the series, causing her to become very emotional, sobbing: “I wish my mum was here.”
But it wasn’t long before trolls hit out at Alexandra, branding her tears ‘fake’ and saying it’s a way for her to win votes on the show.
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The star, who is still grieving her mother’s death, has decided enough is enough and has directly addressed the accusations.
She told The Sun: “Trust me, if I could lock my emotions in a box and throw it in the sea and never see it again I absolutely would.
“It makes me very tearful saying that to you now. But I don’t choose it. It just happens.
“I am who I am, I wear my heart on my sleeve.
“Sometimes my emotions come through and sometimes people don’t like that. But when you get hateful comments it makes me feel guilty for showing emotion.
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“It’s so hurtful — so, so hurtful. It has made me cry and it has made me get really upset.”
Her statement comes after a string of hurtful comments on Twitter, where fans of the show have been posting things such as: “Oh here she goes crying again”
Another added: “Alexandra Burke crying #fake #milkingit”
However, fans of the singer have sent kind messages of support and encouragement to her, with one tweeting: “@alexandramusic there is no shame in crying girl we love u.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues this Saturday and Sunday night on BBC One.