Former 'Strictly Come Dancing' Star Alexandra Burke Says UK Has 'Massive Problem' With 'Confident Women'

Alexandra Burke has said there is a “massive problem” regarding the way “confident” women are portrayed in the media and received by the British public.

Last year, Alexandra made it through to the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ final, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for the former ‘X Factor’ star, who had to face negativity both in the press and on social media.

When Alexandra finally spoke out about these negative reports towards the end of her ‘Strictly’ journey, many defended her by saying the UK has a problem with confident women, which she has now addressed.

She told the BBC: “I find it bizarre, because women shouldn’t feel that if they come across as too confident it can be mistaken for arrogance. That’s a massive problem we have over here.”

“I got lost in a little bubble on ‘Strictly’. That minute and a half where I had no cares in the world,” Alexandra continued: 

“It was just a special moment for me to not do anything but dance and be carefree.

“And that, yes, has been mistaken for confidence, and there has to be an ounce of confidence for you to go on the stage and do something out of your comfort zone. But I was trying to prove something to myself.

“I wanted to learn Latin and ballroom because I’ve never done it before... if you get a challenge, why not try your best to execute it?”

She concluded: “It’s a shame that some people mistook that determination and that will to want to do well, which everyone should have in life by the way, for arrogance or anything other than what it was.

“And I’ve always been quite sad about how that came across with some people and what they would say on Twitter.”

Earlier this month, Alexandra admitted to HuffPost that the way she was portrayed in the press was the most difficult aspect of her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ experience.

She told us the “negative and untrue stories” about her began to feel “personal”, adding: “For me, [the negativity] came out of the blue and felt to a degree… like it was a bit personal, and a slight attack.”