Strictly Come Dancing star Alexandra Burke has completely transformed her body in recent years, having managed to lose two stone and drop three dress sizes. Now, in a new interview with Women's Health magazine, the singer opened up about her weight loss journey. "By the summer of 2015, I'd piled on three dress sizes over two years, going from a size eight to a 14," the 29-year-old shared. "My hectic tour schedule meant that I'd often skip the gym, miss meals and then gorge on takeaways late at night. I wasn't overly troubled by how I looked – I was in a happy relationship with my boyfriend Josh Ginnelly and my career since The X Factor was going brilliantly well."
STORY: Strictly's Alexandra Burke in tears over mum's death as she wows with jive
© Photo: BBCStrictly star Alexandra Burke has dropped three dress sizes in two years
But Alexandra revealed she decided to overhaul her lifestyle after becoming concerned about developing diabetes, like her mother, who sadly recently passed away. "I started eating six small meals a day: porridge for breakfast, soup for lunch, a dinner of chicken or fish, with salad, and fruit and nut snack in between," she said. "I suddenly had so much energy from eating regularly.
STORY: Ant McPartlin's wife returns to the spotlight on Strictly: It Takes Two
"Healthy eating encouraged me to kick-start my gym routine. I now work out five or six times a week, and my training schedule never changes, not even when I'm on holiday… Two years later, I'm three dress sizes smaller and two stone lighter, and I've built up muscle. It's been a slow process but the rewards are for the long term."
© Photo: BBCThe singer, 29, is currently competing in Strictly with Gorka Marquez
STORY: Debbie McGee responds to rumours of romance with Strictly's Giovanni Pernice
Alexandra has been wowing the judges and Strictly fans with her impressive dance routines with pro partner Gorka Marquez. Last week, she addressed rumours of a romance between Gorka and fellow celeb contestant Gemma Atkinson, telling Lorraine Kelly: "Apparently that's happening! I don't know where he has got time to have anything going on, to be fair. You literally can't believe anything you read. You can't believe those things." The Hallelujah singer then emphasized that her focus remained solely on the competition, adding: "It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of love with every single contestants on the show. For me, my concern is making sure Gorka and I are fully in tune with each other and were having so much fun, we won't let anything get in the way. We're focused."
