Alexandra Burke ‘actually quite sad’ X Factor axed after 17 years

Alexandra won the X Factor in 2008 (Picture: Getty)

Alexandra Burke has confessed she’s ‘actually quite sad’ to see the end of X Factor following the news it’s been axed after 17 years.

The 32-year-old singer won the fifth series of the ITV competition show in 2008, with Louis Walsh as her mentor, and went on to have chart success with her debut single Hallelujah.

‘I did have a wonderful experience on it,’ Alexandra reflected.

She partly puts her joyous time on the show down to her mum, Melissa Bell, who was one of the lead singers o R&B act Soul II Soul.

‘I had a mum in the industry so you couldn’t walk over me – not with the mother I had,’ Alexandra continued. ‘My mum would be there and she’d be very strong. Not everyone has that person in their life.’

Alexandra added to The Guardian that Simon pushed her into making pop music because of her ability to sing and dance at the same time.

Alexandra performed with Beyonce on the show (Picture: Rex)

The X Factor first began in 2004 but hasn’t aired since 2018.

Over the years, the show discovered some of the world’s best-loved musical talent, including One Direction and Little Mix.

At its peak, the show could score 12million viewers with some of its iconic moments going down in TV history – Beyonce performing with Alexandra and One Direction’s solo auditions, for example.

However, in recent years, the series suffered dwindling viewership.

ITV recently announced music mogul Simon’s new venture, wild new series Walk The Line, which will see contestants compete for a chance to win a ‘life-changing’ cash prize.

More: The X Factor

Amid the cancellation of Britain’s Got Talent 2021, Walk The Line will see musical acts – including soloists, duos, bands and choirs – perform for the nation and a panel of judges, including Simon.

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