Alesha Dixon reveals sporting dreams

Alesha Dixon reveals sporting dreams
Alesha Dixon reveals sporting dreams (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Alesha Dixon has revealed that she would have become involved in sports if she hadn't become a singer. The Britain's Got Talent judge, who has joined fellow panellist David Walliams in showing her support for Team GB ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, had been eyeing up a career in either teaching or athletics before she joined girl group Mis-Teeq. "I did sports studies, and I did use to run for my school and county. I used to coach gymnastics and played netball as well, and before I went into music, I thought being a sports teacher or an athlete would be a good option as well," she said. Alesha - who is set to reprise her role on the BGT judging panel alongside David, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden in the next series - still has a love for sports. "I'm a massive fan of sport, especially athletics. I've always been very active," she continued. "Even now although I'm in the music industry, I still have a love for sport and a passion for watching it. I get to create classes for gyms in my work with LA Fitness and my sister started a netball team recently and asked me to join, so if I wasn't so busy, I probably would. "I used to love netball and running, and I still run as much as I can. I do genuinely enjoy it." The 33-year-old aims to watch some of the athletics finals in the Olympics. "I am really excited, and will be going to try and hopefully witness the 800m and 200m finals," she said.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.