Imagine if Alexandra Burke was your life coach. Well, in another life, she could have been. “I actually studied to be a life coach in New York for 18 months in 2013, 2014,” the singer tells me, remembering. Then, almost confidentially, she adds, “Do you know what? They actually wanted to hire me. Because they didn’t know who I was.” The 34-year-old performer, who won the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008 and has sold over 5 million records, had to let them down gently. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m really sorry, I’m actually a singer from the UK.’ They were like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve just done this for my own confidence, to help with my career and stuff.’ They said, ‘But we want to hire you as a life coach,’ and I said, ‘That’s really beautiful, but I actually can’t – I’ve got to go back and record an album.’”
Oh, how I wish Alexandra Burke was my life coach. But no, in this reality, she’s adding another string to her bow, starring in her first film, the grown-up indie drama Pretty Red Dress. Like Billie Piper and Lily Allen before her, the switch is triumphant, defying any “but she’s a pop star” scepticism. “I’m gonna mention it,” she says, looking over at her manager, “because I’m really proud. I read online – I didn’t think it was real – that I got nominated for the National Film Awards for this film.” It’s deserved: Burke is a great actor. Naturalistic, warm and subtle, she’s able to convey simmering, painful depths.
