Alexandra Burke's mother Melissa Bell has died

A statement posted to Alexandra's Instagram page read: "It is with the heaviest and saddest of hearts that the family inform you our beautiful, funny and loving mum, Melissa Bell has passed away.

"Our beautiful mother gained her wings on Monday 28th August 2017, a day that has changed our lives forever. We will never forget her unconditional love, support, charisma, strength and courage throughout her life.

"We are eternally proud and thankful to call her our mummy. We would be grateful if you could respect our privacy at this difficult time. Thank you. The Burke Family.

And in a separate statement, Alexandra vowed to continue on with 'Strictly Come Dancing' - the BBC One latin and ballroom show where celebrities compete for the Glitterball trophy - as she knew her mother had always "dreamed" of her taking part.

She added: "Mummy has always been my biggest supporter and was over the moon when I told her I was doing Strictly. It was always a dream of hers that I would one day be part of the show and I know that she would have wanted me to carry on xx (sic)"

Alexandra had previously spoken of her excitement at joining the 2017 cast of 'Strictly'.

She said at the time: "I am so excited to be joining this year’s Strictly cast! I love this show and have followed it from the beginning, so being able to be a part of it is just a dream come true for me - I still can’t believe it! I am very nervous as I am a singer not a dancer, but I am going to give this my absolute everything and try my best to make everyone proud."