'He totally gets it': Alexandra Burke says boyfriend Josh Ginnelly is 'very supportive' of Strictly Come Dancing role

Emotional: Alexandra Burke with Gorka Marquez
BBC/Guy Levy
Fiona Simpson30 October 2017
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Alexandra Burke has said her boyfriend fully supports her appearing on Strictly Come Dancing and spending as much time as she does in the arms of another man.

Burke is partnered with professional dancer Gorka Marquez on the BBC One series, and she has said her partner of 18 months, stage manager Josh Ginnelly, "totally gets it”.

She added that the two men have become friends.

Speaking to Hello! magazine, Burke added: "Josh understands what my career is about. He wants to be involved.

"In the green room, it's Josh and Gorka in the corner talking."

The 29-year-old singer said that she thinks her mother is "watching over" her as she takes part in the show.

Alexandra Burke singing with her mother Melissa Bell, who has died aged 53
PA

The pop star's mother Melissa Bell, of Soul II Soul fame, died on August 28, the day the Strictly launch show was filmed.

Burke said: "I'm feeling all kinds of weird feelings. One minute I'm really happy and then I'll see a picture or smell something that reminds me of her and it takes me all the way back."

Burke, who rose to fame as the champion of The X Factor in 2008, added that her mother instilled within her a drive to succeed.

"My mum raised me to be the best me I can be and keep strong," she said.

"She's my motivation to get out of bed and to go to the dance studios to rehearse for 10 hours.

"You never know how long you will last, so to still be a part of it is a dream, an absolute dream."

She added that "it would mean everything to me to get to the end" of the series.

Burke has also revealed that she is hoping to finally work on a new album, which she has delayed due to being busy with other projects.

"I want to get back into the studio. I'm yearning to sing," she said.

"I was 20 when I won The X Factor. I'm not singing about bad boys anymore, I'm singing about being heartbroken. That, for me, is real."

Strictly Come Dancing 2017 - In pictures

1/14

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in