Alexandra Burke recalls difficult childhood with showbiz mum

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Alexandra Burke struggled supporting her family when her Soul II Soul singer mother Melissa Bell was away touring.

The 29-year-old singer-and-actress has opened up about her difficult childhood and how she had to bring up her younger brother Aaron, now 25, whilst her late parent - who sadly passed away last year at the age of 53 - was busy leading the showbiz life working with her band as well as the likes of Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder.

The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' star's mother and father David Burke broke up in 1992, when she was just three.

Speaking about how she coped after the couple's separation, Alexandra told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I had to watch my mum struggle terribly with separations and guilt when she had to leave us. And I had to hold the fort and look after my little brother Aaron when my mum was often away touring in the band Soul II Soul, which was huge at the time."

Former 'X Factor' winner Alexandra says that it's tough for anyone in showbiz to balance being a mother with their career, let alone looking after a sibling so young.

She added: "It was hard for a little girl to do that, and it's still really hard for women to be in showbusiness and be mothers, if you haven't got an army of kind, reliable people to help you."

The 'Bodyguard' star - who got engaged to her long-term partner Josh Ginnelly last year - admits that her own experiences as a child have made her "wary" about starting her own family, as she worries her hectic stage schedule could take its toll on family life.

She admitted: "It has made me wary of what is to come. I don't want my children yet I wonder how I will cope with me often working nights in the theatre."

Alexandra added that she is hoping to tie the knot in 2019 in another country.

She added: "Mind you, I'm not married yet. We are thinking perhaps slipping off abroad somewhere next year."