Alexandra Burke: The Truth About X Factor, Grief & Finding My Happy Ending

What does it take to keep going when life keeps testing how badly you want the dream? In this episode of Begin Again, Alexandra Burke joins Davina for an emotional and deeply personal conversation about X Factor, grief, motherhood, love, faith and the determination that has carried her through every chapter of her life. Alexandra looks back on the extraordinary road to becoming a star: singing alongside her mum as a child, Stevie Wonder wanting to sign her at just 12 years old, being sent home from X Factor at 16, and the mother who eventually pushed her to go back and try again. She opens up about what was really happening in her life during that first rejection, why she now knows she wasn’t ready, and the remarkable full-circle journey that followed. She also speaks movingly about losing her mum, the grief she still carries and how becoming a mother herself has changed the way she understands the sacrifices her own mum made. Alexandra shares why she has fiercely protected her two boys, how she met her partner Darren after years of choosing the wrong relationships, and the moment she realised the family life she has now is everything she once prayed for. Now, playing Chaka Khan on stage in I’m Every Woman, Alexandra reveals why the most challenging role of her career is bringing parts of her own past back to the surface, why she has had to learn to leave Chaka at the theatre, and why she plans to return to therapy when the show ends. This is a conversation about rejection, grief, resilience, faith and refusing to give up on the life you know you’re meant to have. 🌟 Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again. Follow us here: 📸 www.instagram.com/beginagain 🎥 TikTok: beginagainpod ✨ Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more: https://linkly.link/2g2xm We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.... 00:00 Intro 01:20 Why “I’m Every Woman” Means So Much 06:51 How Her Mum Inspired Her 15:08 Alexandra’s Bond With Her Mum 18:57 Singing With Her Mum as a Child 20:06 Why She Turned Down Stevie Wonder 25:49 Your ‘Busy Living’ Stories Ad 27:24 Davina Tries Monzo! Ad 28:35 Leaving School at 16 for Music 30:21 Her Abusive Relationship at 16 31:50 Rejected by The X Factor at 16 32:50 Coming Back to Win The X Factor 38:15 How Chaka Khan Helped Her Heal 39:23 Performing for Chaka Khan 41:51 Why She Keeps Her Children Private 48:35 How She Met Her Husband Darren 53:58 Finding Out She Was Pregnant 58:20 Going Back to Work After Giving Birth 59:42 Pregnant Again Seven Months Later 01:01:46 Pre-Eclampsia During Her Second Pregnancy 01:03:12 Why She Wants More Children 01:06:20 How Alexandra Found Her Confidence 01:09:15 Honouring Her Mum Through Her Foundation Sponsored by: Monzo - Download Monzo. Monzo Current Accounts are for 16+ and UK residents. Ts&Cs Apply.