Singer Alesha Dixon made headlines when she joined the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing and then after three successful series controversially left to become a judge on rival show Britain’s Got Talent.
However the 33-year-old has now publicly spoken out the reasons behind her exit from the BBC show, saying that she was tired of the Strictly format, not because she was reportedly offered around £350,000 by Simon Cowell.
Alesha’s decision to move shows stunned BBC bosses and fans, but as ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ singer explained on the first day of BGT auditions, she follows her gut feeling when it comes to her career.
According to the Mirror, she said: “Money has never been a factor. If it was I’d have done so many crazy things over the years. I make decisions on what feels right and what excites me. I was going to leave Strictly anyway. Three years was respectable. It was time to move on.”
Alesha added: “I wanted to do something fresh – I don’t want to be boxed in. I want to try new things. You only get one life, it’s not a rehearsal.”
Others still believe that Simon Cowell, the musical mastermind behind BGT and The X Factor was a further reason for Alesha’s defection from Strictly, as the former Mis-teeq singer still wants to focus on her music career.
A source explained: “Alesha sees this as the next step in her career and, with Simon’s backing, the sky is the limit. When she signed to Strictly she was a relatively minor star, but has grown into a household name. BGT could see her win an even bigger audience and make the leap to the showbiz big time. Simon’s also hinted he can help her with her singing career.
“His support made Cheryl Cole into one of Britain’s biggest stars – and he’s convinced he can do the same with Alesha.”
Check out our interview below with Strictly judge Len Goodman and see what he thought of Alesha's departure:
Alesha walks the BGT red carpet
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