Alexandra Burke has followed in the Duchess of Sussex's footsteps after teaming up with one of her patronages, Smart Works Charity, for an important virtual event. Smart Works helps women into the workforce through job interview training and provides them with outfits for those interviews. On Wednesday evening, Alexandra caught up with some of the women who went on to secure employment.
WATCH: Alexandra Burke discusses overcoming anxiety with Smart Works
MORE: Inside Alexandra Burke's £1.6million Hertfordshire home
Posting on their Twitter page, the charity wrote: "This evening Alexandra Burke will be hosting a special virtual event for the wonderful women who used Smart Works in the past and have gone on to get a job. To say we’re excited is an understatement. We’ll be sharing highlights here so keep an eye out."
During the virtual Q&A session, Alexandra spoke about "overcoming anxiety and feeling empowered", using her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 as an example. The singer was partnered with Gorka Marquez and continued in the competition even though her mum passed away on the same day as the launch show. Sharing a tidbit from the session, Smart Works posted on Instagram: "@alexandraburke 'I danced for 12 hours a day when I was on Strictly' – with the support of her family. Alex fought through the loss of her mother to go on and dance on Strictly."
Alexandra Burke teamed up with one of Meghan Markle's patronages
MORE: The poignant story behind Meghan Markle's new jewellery revealed
Meghan became Patron of Smart Works in January 2019 and is very supportive of the impactful work being done to help women into the workforce. During her numerous visits, the royal noticed that donations to Smart Works were plentiful but weren't always the right choices or sizes. As a result, the Duchess collaborated with them on a capsule workwear collection to ensure that its clients are equipped with both the skills and clothes they need to feel job-ready.
Meghan Markle launched a capsule workwear collection with Smart Works in 2019
The collection included a shirt, trousers, blazer, dress and bag, and was stocked at Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Partners and Jigsaw. Mother-of-one Meghan announced the project during her guest editorship of British Vogue last September, and writing in the fashion bible she said: "The reason I was drawn to Smart Works is that it re-frames the idea of charity as community, which, for me, is incredibly important: it's a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.