ALESHA DIXON firmly believes there are not enough black women on Britain's TV screens despite living in a multicultural society.

Speaking frankly in a new interview with the May edition ofCosmopolitan magazine, Alesha recalled her first-hand experience of racism, including being told by a showbiz journalist that they would not put a black person on the front cover because it would not sell.

She said: “It made me angry because it shouldn’t be about the colour of the person’s skin, it should be about the person.”

After winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 as a contestant, Dixon spent three years as a full-time judge.

She described how the BBC was refreshingly open about her new role.

“When I joined the Strictly Come Dancing panel in 2009, the controller of the BBC came into my dressing room and said they were proud to have a woman of colour on their panel. It was so nice that they acknowledged it,” she said.
 


Having grown up in Welwyn Garden City, Dixon was aware of prejudice, but refused to let this ignorance stand in her way of achieving her dreams.

“I was the only mixed-race girl in my school, but for me that was a positive thing; it made me unique. If it wasn’t for spending time with the black side of my family, perhaps I may have felt like an outcast, but I never did.”
 


Not having many female ethnic role models to aspire to, Dixon was drawn to singer Neneh Cherry because she looked like her and had curly hair.

However, Alesha had to also contend with her father’s negative comments about the music industry. He told her: "What makes you think you’re going to succeed? Black people from this country don’t succeed."

Yet this made Alesha even more determined than ever to carve out a successful career.

She said: “If you looked at the UK charts at the time there weren’t many black British artists selling records… But I’ve always said you can’t use colour as an excuse."

Despite this, Dixon described initially how her old band Mis-Teeq were struggled financially for five years.

“We took a risk and we worked hard to pull it off… We were a minority and a girl group against the odds. We never had loads of money thrown at us or went to stage school. That made success so much sweeter.”


Having spent a decade in the industry, and now in her second series as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, Alesha said that since turning 30 she feels more positive about getting older.

“I don’t worry about the future because that will take care of itself. I don’t carry around past baggage because what’s that going to do for me?

"We only have now…. The fact that I’m still working in the industry now, 10 years on, is something I’m so thankful for. There is no door you can’t open.”

The full interview appears in the May issue of Cosmpolitan on sale April 4 and available the digital edition