No.1 for Interviews - Alesha Dixon
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In the space of a fortnight this Strictly star experienced heartbreak and a career meltdown but this is one woman who knows that what doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger
By her own admission, October 2006 was a “dark time” for Alesha Dixon. In a series of events that were well documented by the press, the former Mis-Teeq star saw her record deal as a solo artist go up in smoke and her husband, and former member of So Solid Crew Harvey, leave her for another woman – all in the space of two weeks.
Finding out that your husband has been having an affair is hard to bear, no matter who you are. While us mere mortals can only speculate, experiencing the distress, the tears and the anger that come with the end of a marriage must only be magnified when it’s all happening in the public eye. At the time, the singer was very open and honest, saying in an interview, “I was shattered by his betrayal, as shattered as any woman would be.” The fact that Harvey is still with ‘other woman’ Javine Hylton – with whom he now has a baby – must only be a constant reminder of her own heartbreak and his betrayal.
But Alesha’s run of bad luck did not end there because so often in life, it can feel like the universe has really got in for you and within a fortnight, Alesha lost her record deal – something she was pleased to secure since leaving girl band Mis-Teeq. Looking back she comments, “At the time, obviously, it was scary and it was horrible but I think that, in retrospect, these things are meant to happen.”
But how did this beautiful young woman find herself in such a position – having seemingly had everything, to losing it so quickly. More to the point, how did she manage to pull herself out of it, dust herself off and reinvent herself as a modern and relevant pop star – or the “British Beyoncé” as Bruce Forsyth so aptly named her.
The answer? Strictly Come Dancing. Alesha was asked to take part in the 2007 series of the hit reality TV show, which she would eventually go on to win. The effect of this on her life, her wellbeing and her career have not been missed by the star. She recently said at the Forth Radio Awards, “It has definitely changed my professional life for sure. I never lost focus of my job and what I wanted to do with my life but Strictly Come Dancing has re-energised everything.”
Since wowing the judges and winning Strictly, Alesha has gone on to release her debut solo album, The Alesha Show – the very name of which gives a good indication of how positive and up beat she is now feeling. But this album is really a culmination of an amazingly positive period for Alesha, something that she puts down to her own mental attitude. Speaking about Harvey, she recently said in an interview, “He knows he’s made the biggest mistake.” She continued, “He now has to live with that. I have to let go of my negative energy towards Harvey. If you’re angry, bitter or stressed you just end up making yourself ill. So I had to let go for my own peace of mind.”
She puts this confidence down to a good upbringing and an innate sense of self-worth, “I was a good wife and a good artist, and I worked hard at both.” She continues, “I reminded myself that I am not a victim and I am not prepared to give up on love or my career.”
And thank goodness she didn’t because she has become something of a spokesperson for women’s confidence and took part in a BBC documentary on the subject of celebrity airbrushing. She recently told a magazine, “We worry too much about how we look – especially when blokes don’t care about things like cellulite! And we should stop using the word ‘flaws’ – why is it a flaw to have a scar or a mole?” It was this down-to-earth, philosophical attitude that led her to not only win Strictly (although of course some serious dance skills helped) but to win over the nation. She says, “The show introduced me to a new audience and people that wouldn’t necessarily remember me from my Mis-Teeq days.”
Having just turned 30, Alesha managed to get through the landmark birthday pretty unscathed, “Because I’m happy at the moment, I don’t care about turning 30. If things weren’t going so well, maybe it would be depressing.” In another interview she comments, “Part of me is still going, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to be in my 20s again.’ But I keep reminding myself that this is the start of something great.”
As for relationships, you get the impression, that having a man doesn’t even enter into the equation right now. With or without a partner, she realises that happiness comes from within. Although rather endearingly, Alesha acknowledges that one day, she would like a family of her own.
And what did she think of Bruce’s comparison to booty-shaking Beyoncé, “I love Beyoncé and am a massive fan but I don’t think I am like her. I don’t think anybody in the world could be like her. She is a unique artist and there is only one Beyoncé. It was very sweet of him to say it but I was rather embarrassed. For me it is quite a lot of pressure and I would never try to be her. I can only be myself.”
And once again, she’s absolutley right: she can only be herself and why would she want to be anything else?
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