Alesha Dixon is determined to give her daughters as happy a childhood as possible after witnessing her mother become a victim of domestic violence.
The Britain’s Got Talent star has been vocal about her experiences of witnessing the abuse her mother suffered at the hands of a boyfriend.
Alesha was between eight and 10 years old at the time of the attacks, but says the period in her life has made her a better mum, ‘shaping’ who she is.
“I want to make sure my children are never exposed to things that I saw,” she explained to Alice Liveing on the Give Me Strength podcast.
“I want them to grow up feeling very secure, because I grew up feeling very insecure.”
Alesha added she had “a lot of love” around her as a child and didn’t have a bad childhood, despite what she witnessed.
The singer, who found fame in early 00s band Mis-Teeq, is now happily married to choreographer Azuka Ononye, and together they have two daughters - Azura, seven, and Anaya, 20 months.
She has since used her platform to shed light on domestic violence and its lasting impact, hosting domestic violence documentary Don’t Hit My Mum in 2010.
Speaking about life as a mum, Alesha previously told The Mirror: “Being a mum has made me a better person because I’m always mindful of my behaviour.
"Obviously, there is still a rebellious side in me and I’m young at heart, but for the most part I’m quite sensible.
“My children keep me grounded. Everything I’m doing now is to make sure they have a great future and to protect them.”
“Sometimes I find myself begging for a cuddle,” she added, when asked about her favourite thing about motherhood.
“There is nothing nicer than when they dive on you and they just squeeze you so tightly and you feel that love. You forget about the lack of sleep, the screaming and tantrums. They’re the best.”
Alesha’s comments come as Britain’s Got Talent takes a year off the air.
The presenter has been a judge on the competition series since 2012, and currently stars alongside David Walliams, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden.
It’s believed the show will start filming again in January 2022.
In the meantime, she will be heading Down Under to join the judging panel of Australia's Got Talent, joining Neil Patrick Harris, Kate Ritchie, Shane Jacobson and Ricki Lee.
