Alexandra Burke struggled to "accept" the way her body changed during pregnancy.
Alexandra Burke had to learn to accept the changes her body is going through while pregnant
The 34-year-old singer has a 12-month-old child with footballer boyfriend Darren Randolph and after she announced in April that she is expecting once again, has now revealed she had a tough time dealing with the drastic changes her body experienced the first time round because she is such an avid fan of working out and staying in shape.
Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', she told stand-in host Ranvir Singh: "What a woman's body can go through when you're blessed to carry a baby, it's such a big blessing and you mustn't criticise your body because your body is making a whole human. I've had to learn to adapt to the changes, and accept the change. I struggled with it at the beginning because the thing is I work out all the time, it's like my buzz and it is the thing that makes me happy."
Alexandra - who is yet to reveal the name and gender of her little one publicly - went on to explain that she is thinking about things "differently" this time round and urged other women to "love and accept" their bodies when they are expecting.
She added: "So when my body was changing and I couldn't control it I was like 'Oh God, this is taking me back a bit' on my first pregnancy, this second one I'm carrying it a lot differently. I'm feeling a lot more fatigued but I'm running after a toddler all day for goodness' sake. You have to accept your body, our bodies go through so much and we have to love our bodies and love who we are."
The 'Hallelujah' songstress shot to fame when she won 'The X Factor' in 2008 and went on to release a string of chart-topping singles before going on to an illustrious career in West End musicals but is now making her film debut in 'Pretty Red Dress' as a wannabe singer and explained that the role reminded her of how her late mum Melissa Bell helped to build her career in the first place.
She said: "It's such a beautiful film about self-acceptance and ultimately living a life of freedom. I could relate to Candice in so many ways because I used to do the pub circuit way before 'X Factor' and anywhere that my mum could place me to sing for experience, she would plonk me right there.
"Candice does exactly the same, when she thinks one door is going to open, it closes. It's exactly the same way my life went."
'Pretty Red Dress' is in cinemas now.
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