Many of us dream of being able to turn back the hands of time, but not Alesha Dixon. Now 44, she has been in showbiz for two decades, since hitting the big time with girl band Mis-Teeq.
The group went on to have two Top 10 albums and seven consecutive Top 10 singles.
Alesha Dixon says she is much happier now than she ever was
Alesha joined ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2012 as a judge alongside David Walliams, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden
But Alesha says she is much happier now than she ever was back then – and that goes for her looks as well as her career.
“There’s absolutely nothing you can do about getting older, so I’m embracing it,” she says. “I am happy in my skin. I actually prefer the way I look now to when I was in my 20s.
“I like myself more as a person now than I did back then, too. My 20s were horrific. You couldn’t pay me to go back there.”
There’s no denying Alesha has had her fair share of ups and downs, including the collapse of her marriage to rapper MC Harvey in 2006, after she discovered he was having an affair with singer Javine Hylton.
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Now a busy mum to two girls, Azura, nine, and three-year-old Anaya, with her partner of 10 years, ex-dancer Azuka Ononye, 41, her happiness is clear to see.
Her flawless skin is glowing, her hair so sleek and glossy it looks like she’s never had a split end in her life.
“A good hairstyle can completely change your mood,” she laughs. “It can transform a woman. You can always tell when a woman is feeling good, and it always starts with her hair.”
She says she is determined that her daughters will embrace their natural hair.
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“What’s important to me is the constant positive affirmations that show my daughters that their hair is beautiful. They don’t know that their hair is any different – we just tell them how beautiful they are all the time.
“The reality is, we all have different hair types, different textures. There’s no right or wrong way to have your hair. One hairstyle is not more beautiful than another.
“How you feel about your hair is such a personal thing. I’ve never compared myself to other people – I never grew up wanting long, blonde hair.
“I’ve just loved my hair. That came from having a mother who celebrated it, so I do the same with my children – it’s that simple.”
Alesha’s mum Beverly worked as a hairdresser in their hometown of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
“When I was growing up, I never went into a hairdresser’s once,” Alesha explains. “I’d look at friends who went to get their hair cut and think: ‘Oh, that sounds nice.’ But my mum trimmed our hair. She did all sorts of things to mine – we used to have fun with it.”
Alesha has been with her partner, ex-dancer Azuka Ononye, for 10 years
Alesha been in showbiz for two decades, since hitting the big time with girl band Mis-Teeq
Three years ago, fuelled by a desire for more representation for women of colour, she became an ambassador for hair brand Tresemmé.
“I’d always dreamt of being in a hair advert. I grew up seeing hair adverts and didn’t see myself represented.
“So for me, a woman of colour, to be in the advert, it felt so progressive,” she says.
It is this motivation to constantly try new things that ensures Alesha will never rest on her laurels.
She says: “What blows my mind is that I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and I still feel motivated. There are so many things that I haven’t done that I want to do.
“I have never got to a place where I feel complacent. It’s hard work, but that is all relative. Everybody, no matter what they’re doing, has to work hard.
“I love a new challenge. I don’t believe in playing it safe. The biggest competition you have in life is with yourself, no one else.
“If you back away from something because of fear, you’re the one that feels bad, no one else. I love that I’ve got to a place where I’m not afraid to fail.
“In my 20s, I looked at failure very differently. Now I think: ‘What is this trying to teach me?’ People fear getting older, but the thing I love is the wisdom you have.
“I’ve never felt more relaxed in business decisions. You learn through trial and error and how to move past it.”
Alesha says she has never felt more relaxed in business decisions
She’s not averse to taking risks, either. Two years after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2007, the BBC offered her a coveted job on the show’s judging panel.
“Most people would have been content to stay put in one of TV’s top gigs, but Alesha then jumped ship in 2012 to join ITV’s rival show Britain’s Got Talent.
“When I walked away from Strictly and joined BGT, that was a big moment,” she says. “There were no guarantees that would work. Over the years, I’ve learnt to have faith in myself and trust my instincts.
“They’ve never let me down. You’re always going to have moments in your life that are challenging and it’s how you react to them that is the most important thing.”
Alesha is so self-assured about her instincts that she made the decision last year to go it alone and manage herself, much like fellow TV personalities Holly Willoughby and Rochelle Humes do.
“I represent myself,” she says proudly. “I had a manager for 14 years and last November we separated.
“This whole year I’ve been looking after myself. That’s been a major change. It feels so empowering to say after 20 years: ‘I represent myself.’
“I don’t have a manager, I don’t have an agent. I’m the one holding the reins, so it all falls on me.
“Sometimes when you have management, you can have people interfering. I thought: ‘Let’s just focus on my own intuition.’ It’s working out really well for me.
“I read that I was ‘following in Holly’s footsteps’, but I’d already made that decision long ago. I’m just very low-key with the way I operate.
Alesha is now a busy mum to two girls, Azura, nine, and three-year-old Anaya
“I have my own label, so I’m going to put out an album in 2023. There’s a body of work, which I’m just polishing. Song-writing is kind of like therapy for me.”
And she has more telly plans, too.
“I’ve put a team together and we have some scripted and non-scripted shows at various stages of development,” she says.
“I’ve always been grateful to front somebody else’s show, and it’s lovely, but I want to be fronting my own show.
“I would like to be working behind the scenes as a producer and coming up with the ideas. I want to work in the industry, but with more ownership over what I do.”
Of course, sitting beside Simon Cowell, Alesha has been able to learn from the best when it comes to creative control.
“Simon is inspiring, without a doubt,” she says. “I feel very blessed to call him a friend.
“Whenever I need any advice, I 100% ask Simon, because he’s been there, done it, worn the T-shirt.
“But I’ve always had ideas. I’m at a place in my life where I have the space and the time to focus on it.
“The biggest challenge is figuring out a balance where I don’t stretch myself too thin.
“I’m always thinking: ‘What’s next? What do I want to achieve in the next 20 years?’ You need to evolve or you die.
“I probably will never retire. I am very lucky with what I do for a living. I don’t class it as a job, and I don’t think I would ever not do it.”
Does it motivate her to show her daughters that she can build an empire?
Alesha has been able to learn from the best when it comes to creative control.
Alesha cracks up laughing: “Oh, they don’t care. They just want their Marmite on toast!
“When we were leaving to go to Australia’s Got Talent [which Alesha was a guest judge on last year], my nine year old was upset and said to me: ‘I don’t want to go. Why couldn’t they have chosen someone else?’
“They don’t really think about things in the same way that we do. All she cares about is what other kids are going to be there so that she can have a play date.
“All that children want is your time. They don’t care about the emails you need to respond to or anything else. I really try hard to make sure when I’m with them they get my full attention.”
Coming up to Christmas, she’s back with the BGT gang for Britain’s Got Magic, as well as presenting The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash with Jason Manford and a new ITV special called Britain Get Singing on Christmas Eve.
She says: “Britain’s Got Magic was a no-brainer. I can’t believe we haven’t done it before, because the magicians are really at the forefront of Britain’s Got Talent.
“We had 10 magicians from all round the world and I think the audience is going to love it.
“BGT is so special and so inclusive. Every generation is welcome and it’s for everyone. There are not many shows like that.”
‘She’s a girls’ girl’
One of the most special things about the show is Alesha’s bond with fellow judge Amanda Holden.
She adds: “We’ve done the show together for 10 years. The first thing Amanda and I did before we worked together was meet up. We made a pact that we weren’t going to allow anyone to pit us against each other.
“We’ve had a great friendship for 10 years. I feel super-lucky, because she’s a girls’ girl and so am I.
“We’ve both got two daughters, so we’ve both got to set that example. I don’t think anyone wants to watch a show where women are against each other.”
As for the criticism frequently levelled at Amanda’s risqué outfits on the show, Alesha jumps to her friend’s defence.
“She looks unbelievable,” she says. “She’s got an amazing figure. It is slightly unfortunate when there are so many more things you could talk about, but I get it – people love the fashion on the show.
“As long as it doesn’t take away from the show, then it doesn’t really matter.”
Alesha is ambassador for Tresemmé 1 Minute Wow! Intensive Strengthening Treatments, available at Superdrug.
In the make-up chair with Alesha
Alisha talks us through her skincare and makeup routine
What are your skincare heroes?
I’ve started using Sabrina and Idris Elba’s brand, S’Able Labs. It has a fantastic day cream and miracle oil.
I also go to bed with Elizabeth Arden’s night balm on. I look ridiculous, but it works.
Any make-up bag essentials?
All I need is mascara, concealer and Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. It’s the best balm I’ve ever used – I keep tubes of it everywhere!
What’s your best budget buy?
Cocoa butter. It’s a staple in lots of black people’s houses. I slather my kids in it, too.
Who’s your beauty icon?
[American actress] Tracee Ellis Ross is the epitome of beauty – cool with great hair. I just love her.Describe your beauty evolution?
I was a tomboy in school – I always had my hair back and never wore make-up. I started experimenting more when I was in Mis-Teeq.
But I’m a disgrace to womanhood as I cannot put on fake eyelashes! I still don’t wear a lot of make-up.
I haven’t got the patience to be sitting for an hour doing it.
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