Alexandra Burke reveals 'hard' reality of racism after being asked to bleach her skin after X Factor

Alexandra Burke was once told to bleach her skin by music bosses but she admits speaking out about this has helped others.

The star was catapulted to fame after winning The X Factor in 2008, having been mentored by Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy. Shortly after her being crowned, Burke, 36, became one of the biggest names in British music, topping the charts with hits such as Bad Boys, Elephant In The Room and All Night Long.

But while Alexandra was riding the wave of fame and appearing overjoyed all the time, behind the scenes, the star admits it wasn't always the case. Shortly after winning the now defunct ITV talent show, Burke claimed music top dogs had asked her to bleach her skin. Following the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Alexandra decided to open up about the microaggressions she had faced in the industry including being told to bleach her skin, told not to braid her hair and also being told she appeared "aggressive" when she had her baby hair slicked back for a performance. But she admits that while she has suffered such vile experiences, she doesn't look back at the past and now has a different outlook on life and looks towards helping others and enabling them to speak out about their own experiences.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, the Islington-born singer and actress who has teamed up with Haliborange for their Theatre of Dreams workshops this half-term opened up about her experience and processing it over 15 years later. "It was really hard," she told us. Alexandra went on to add: "I did speak up about it on my Instagram a couple of years ago, and done a random 15 minute video on it. And I'm so pleased I did speak up about it, because a lot of people didn't know what I'd gone through.

"It gave other people the courage to speak up about their own experiences, to whatever work space they've been involved in, not necessarily within the music industry but other people what they've been through, and speaking up about their own experiences." Alexandra went on to say that while she is "always positive about things" the negative experiences she's endured have made her who she is today.

"In a sense of of trying my best to let things go, take things with a pinch of salt," she added, before saying the comments made about bleaching her skin shouldn't be taken with a pinch of salt. "What I can't do is change the past, so I have to let things go and I know my heart and I know what I'm about and what I represent." But it didn't stop there. When Alexandra was competing on the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, she was told to "smile more" as she didn't look "approachable" and nobody was "going to like" her. This came as Alexandra was battling intense pressure when her mother Melissa was admitted to hospital and was dying, having suffering kidney failure caused by diabetes.

Clarifying further, she commented: "If I'm in the public eye, which I am, I try to represent love and people feeling free. Showing that vulnerability is your strength, and not to be afraid to show emotion, embrace people for who they are and just enjoy life. That's who I am as a person. I've gone through some stuff but it shaped me to who I am today – I like who I am." After her win, Alexandra admits that her close friends called her out for "acting differently" during media interviews or when on the phone.

But Alexandra didn't become a diva. Instead, she admits she was "frightened" to be her authentic self. "I'd always say 'I'm to scared to be me, because I'm just really frightened' I did go through that stage," she revealed. "I'm just a girl from Islington," Alexandra joked before saying: "We're all unique, we're all special. I mean there's no two people the same and you have to embrace that about yourself.

"I've realised it more and becoming a mum, I don't care about anyone's opinions, I'm just going to live my life and do as much as I can for my children and my partner." And her latest partnership with Haliborange couldn't be closer to her heart as she helps inspire the next generation of performers.

Alexandra said: "I take it back to when I was a 17-year-old and I went to the Lion King for the first time ever and saved my money to sit on those stalls and I will never forget, I was like 'Oh my goodness as a young woman of colour, I can see representation on stage and I can see people just like me.' It made me dream so big and not necessarily wanting to go down the theatre route at the time.

"It was more about 'Right' I could do this, I could be a singer.' It gave me so much inspiration to want to to want to do well and and like when you think of Haliborange and what they stand for with creating health habits and healthy lifestyle from a young age and stalling that into children and now as a mum of two, I couldn't ask them for more, I couldn't ask them for more in terms of being associated with a brand that believes in the same thing, because healthy lifestyle choices, they pave the way for hopefully a healthy life as you continue to grow, then when you could get Disney involved, it's like Disney's all about dreaming big and never giving up in your dreams, and anything is possible, and you put the two together, it's just magic."

Growing up, Alexandra's mum, soul singer Melissa Bell instilled in her that nothing was impossible. "When I sit back and I think about the opportunities that kids have, this is why the theatre dreams workshops is going to be so great for children during the half term, simply because they're going to have someone to go to from three years old to 11 is the age range that they can attend. That's the time you want to grab the children and go 'Come on, lets dream big, lets do this,'" she added.

Reflecting further on the project, Alexandra expanded: "There aren't many opportunities out there that we know of that kids can go to and that is why I love Haliborange teaming up with Disney and creating the theatre of dreams workshop, its such a wonderful idea and concept because the tickets are limited and I bet you any money, they're going to go just like that, if not already because any child at that point in the half term when parents are stuck for what to do, this is the perfect place for them.

"My role really on the on the time that I'm there at the workshops, is just to encourage these kids to dream big and to give them some sort of love. And not, you know, not that they don't get enough love. They do. They get the love. But, like, just tell them that they are amazing. They are superstars. They can do what they want if they if they dream big, encourage them. Encourage them, encourage them. It's all we can really do."

Alexandra Burke partners with Haliborange to help encourage children to dream big, and get creative and curious at the Haliborange Theatre of Dreams this October Half-Term. Grab your FREE tickets to the theatre workshops in Oxford Circus and head to www.haliborange.com for more information.

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