Alexandra BurkeX Factor winner Alexandra Burke has said she’s going to keep up the “no boys” rule instigated by her mentor on the show, Cheryl Cole.

Cheryl is said to have ordered all of her contestants - Alexandra, Diana Vickers and Laura White - to stay away from men during their time in the contest to avoid distraction. While Diana hooked up with fellow contestant Eoghan Quigg as soon as she was voted out of the contest (if not before), Alexandra has said she’s sticking to the rule.

She told GMTV this morning: “Cheryl told me to keep away from men. She wants me to concentrate on music without any distractions.

“There will be no romance - I’m all about the music.”

She added: “Cheryl and I have united and become strong together, definitely. She is now my friend more than my mentor.

“She’s proud of me and I’m proud of her being my friend. She is an inspiration to me - she’s a young woman who’s gone through the same situation I’m in.

“She’s taught me so much and I’m so grateful that she’s in my life. If I only have a tiny bit of the success Girls Aloud have had, I’ll be happy.”

Alexandra is almost guaranteed to land this year’s Chrismtas No1 with her debut single, a cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ - in fact, download sales are racking up so fast, she may reached the No1 slot before the CD hits the stores later this week.