Former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke has shared her journey of overcoming a debilitating battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) to advance in her career.
The 35-year-old singer first rose to fame by winning the fifth series of The X Factor. After her victory, she signed with Simon Cowell’s record label and released her winning single, “Hallelujah.” The song became the UK’s top-selling single of 2008 and clinched the Christmas Number 1 spot that year.
In 2009, Burke released her debut album, Overcome, which topped the UK Albums Chart and produced four Number 1 singles. Despite her public success, she privately struggled with IBS, a condition that caused chronic pain and made performing live difficult.
During an appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, Burke revealed how she managed to overcome IBS and transition from singing to acting in a new TV drama. Speaking with hosts Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy, she discussed the impact of IBS on her career and her path to recovery.
“I’ve regained my confidence after a long struggle,” Burke said. “I suffered badly from IBS and was scared to perform on stage or in front of the camera. But since taking an amazing probiotic, my energy levels and mental state have improved tremendously.”
She emphasized her renewed outlook: “I’m seizing every opportunity because nothing is promised tomorrow.”
Burke is currently starring in the West End production of Sister Act, playing Deloris van Cartier, a role originally made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1992 film and its sequel. She is returning to this role after performing it during the UK and Ireland tour from 2016 to 2017.
Burke made her stage debut in 2014 with The Bodyguard Musical and has since starred in productions of Chess, Chicago, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Looking ahead, Burke will appear in the TV drama Curfew, a thriller set in a society where the Women’s Safety Act imposes a curfew on all men.
