Alexandra Burke:
Singer Alexandra Burke explains how she’s overhauled her diet and upped her workouts to prevent Type 2 diabetes – the condition her mother Melissa lost her life to in 2017 – and how she’s found contentment in her thirties
“I live a healthier lifestyle because of what my mum went through”
She’s fitter than ever and proudly says she’s in “the best shape of her life”, eating healthily and working out seven days a week. But despite her smoking-hot figure, Alexandra Burke says that’s not the motivation behind her exercise regime.
The former X Factor star, 32, says keeping fit is her “happy place” due to the mental health benefits and because it could also prevent her from developing Type 2 diabetes, the illness that she lost her mum to almost four years ago.
She says, “I’ve naturally gravitated to wanting to live a healthier lifestyle because of what I saw Mum go through. I love being active. I always used to play football, basketball and badminton for my school and the older I’ve got, the more I’ve realised how beneficial it is to stay fit. That belief ramped up when my mum got sick.”
Alexandra’s mum, Melissa Bell – lead singer in hit ’90s band Soul II Soul – was 53 when she passed away in August 2017 after spending three decades battling hereditary diabetes mellitus, a condition that means the body cannot control blood glucose levels or produce enough insulin.
AT RISK
Alexandra, whose grandmother also had
Type 2 diabetes, recalls, “My mum and grandmother went through so much because of diabetes, and watching that was tough. At a young age, I saw them both having seizures when they were low on sugar and Mum would inject herself with insulin every day.”
Alexandra has been advised by her doctor that she is more at risk than most of developing the condition, and now has twiceyearly diabetes tests. And while she has always eaten healthily and exercised, she has upped her efforts this year – switching to a plantbased diet and exercising every day with a mix of cardio and low-weight resistance exercises.
She says, “In the past five or six months, I’ve been in the best shape of my life and feeling the best with my body, but the benefits go beyond what I look like because this will reduce the risk of me developing Type 2 diabetes.”
To further reduce the risk, Alexandra – who is an ambassador for Diabetes UK – curbs her naturally sweet tooth and strives to eat healthily six days a week before allowing herself a little of what she enjoys on the seventh.
She says, “I eat whatever I want on that day – whether that’s a roast with a tub of ice cream and some cake that I’ve baked. I may even have a Chinese takeaway and maybe a bottle of wine – you have to have things that make you feel happy in life.”
Over the past 16 months, regular video sessions with a life coach during lockdown have also helped her achieve some muchneeded life balance.
“The past year and a bit has been an extraordinary breakthrough in terms of growth and learning about myself,” she says. “When my mum passed away, I threw myself into work for three years. This is the first time I’ve stopped and actually realised, ‘I don’t have my mum.’”
BIG TRANSITION
Alexandra’s voice momentarily cracks but, after a brief pause, she continues, “It’s been a big transition for me and I’m pleased to say that I’m very content in the place I’m in. It sounds cliché, but when you hit your 30s, something clicks. If you’re not giving yourself self-love, start now!”
There has been another change in Alexandra’s life. Last October, she came off the contraceptive pill and she claims to have never felt better. She says, “I wanted my body to be completely, 100 per cent pure, free of hormones. It’s reacting better without it. I’m
eating healthy, my body’s feeling like it’s the best it’s ever been.”
Alexandra, who split from her former fiancé Josh Ginnelly in June 2019 and has since dated footballer Angus MacDonald, last week appeared to confirm a new romance with West Ham player Darren Randolph, 34. After the goalkeeper posted a couple’s selfie to Instagram with the caption “London date night” and tagged Alexandra, she responded with a heart-eyes emoji and love heart.
The star laughs when asked whether, in light of ditching the contraceptive pill, she has imminent plans to create a baby Burke.
She says, “No, darling. Not yet! When the time is right, if it happens, it happens but at the minute, my priority is work.”
Refusing to confirm or deny her relationship with Darren, Alexandra adds, “I am very happy and content with my work life and with my personal life and I couldn’t be happier. For me, ultimately, the biggest goal in life would be to have my own family and to be married and be happy.”
● Alexandra is supporting a partnership between Fitbit and Diabetes UK, to inspire people to lead healthier lives, which could help to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK One Million Step Challenge, encourages participants to take one million steps from July to September.
‘I eat whatever I want one day a week’