Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon has said she can’t believe the contrast in her life from this time last year.

Twelve months ago, her marriage to MC Harvey had just ended after he had an affair with Javine Hylton and she was dumped by her record company: “It was the lowest point of my life. I just kept thinking, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ I didn’t see the point in living.”

“Anyone who knows me knows that my music career and marriage were the most important things. And I lost them within two weeks of each other.”

“I believe in karma - and I sat there thinking, ‘I must have done something’. It was a really weird time, a time where I had to force myself to believe all these things were being swept away for a reason. Believe me, it wasn’t easy.”

“I’d been sitting on my couch and I was down all the time. But one evening a lightbulb went off in my head and the next morning I started making calls, starting to make things happen.”

“I had to start the engine myself. For my own sanity and peace of mind, I had to be positive. My mum always taught me that no matter what you go through, there are people going through much worse. And I realised that what I had outweighed what I had lost. I had my friends and family. My close friends were with me all the time. You realise what’s important in life.”

But the decision to sign up for the celebrity dance show wasn’t easy as she worried it would affect her pop career: “I didn’t say Yes straight away. In the music industry there is a certain amount of snobbery - and Strictly was a risk for me. I didn’t want people thinking I was using it as a vehicle.”

“But I finally thought, ‘Who cares what people think? I know why I’m doing it.’ I’m SO glad I stuck by my choice. The reality was I wanted to learn how to dance. And that’s what I did.”

“Look at me now. I’ve learned to dance, I’m happy and I believe it was meant to happen.”

“Strictly has just given me a real zest for life. I thrive on hard work and even though my body is in pain and tired, my first choice is to get up and do something. Life is so short. We should all grasp it.”