ARTISTS rarely get to follow in their music hero's footsteps but Alexandra Burke is one of the lucky few.

The singer was inspired by Whitney Houston when she shot to fame after winning the fifth series of The X Factor.

On her first live show the 27-year-old impressed judges after belting out the late singer's I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Now she is stepping into Whitney's shoes by playing Rachel Marron in the stage version of The Bodyguard.

"Whitney Houston made this role famous so I’m not trying to be her," said Brit Award nominee Alexandra.

"I just want to put my interpretation on the role and on the songs and find how it fits me doing it.

"Whitney has always been an inspiration to me but when you walk into any of these situations you can’t try and be anybody but yourself.

"It’s a great challenge but at the same time it’s a lot of fun and I’m having a great time at the moment."

Based on the 1992 Oscar-nominated screenplay, The Bodyguard is about former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer who is hired to protect music star Rachel Marron from a stalker.

The film's writer Lawrence Kasdan has recently turned his hand to the script for the hotly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Alexandra was just four when The Bodyguard came out but it became one of her favourite films years later.

She added: "Although there’s a dark side to the story with a stalker trying to get Rachel Marron it’s also a beautiful love story between Rachel and Frank.

"I think that’s why I fell in love with it and of course Whitney Houston’s voice was amazing. It showed her at her best."

The film became synonymous with its soundtrack, particularly with one of the biggest selling songs of all time, I Will Always Love You.

So the creators of the award-winning musical version decided to make it more of a tribute to Whitney.

Alexandra, who has had three number ones with Hallelujah, Bad Boys and Start Without You, said: "We’ve had to change a couple of things so that it works for the theatre but it doesn’t stray too far from the film.

"We’ve only used five or six songs from The Bodyguard soundtrack and the rest of the show is put together with songs from Whitney Houston’s catalogue.

"She had legendary and iconic songs and they have been used to make the story more interesting.

"It’s not too far away from the film though and hopefully the audience will go through a lot of emotions with us as the evening progresses."

Alexandra quickly rose to fame after The X Factor so in some ways she says she can relate to her character Rachel.

But unlike the story in The Bodyguard her experience of the showbiz world has mostly been a positive one.

She added: "I’ve got my own security team for when I’m out and about. In that respect it’s a similar thing but thankfully I’ve been stalked.

"Touch wood it never happens. I can only imagine what that would be like. It must be extremely scary.

"There have been challenges I've had to face since winning The X Factor but thankfully I’ve got an amazing group of friends and my family have kept me grounded.

"It’s been seven years since I won the show so I’m just grateful that I’m still working and doing what I love.

"I’d encourage people to go for The X Factor because it’s where I’ve come from and I think if you play your cards right and work hard you can go far.

"That’s the same with anything in life but The X Factor is such a great platform.

"It’s a place where people can start their career if it’s done right and they’re supported in the right way."

But forget jetting around the globe, rubbing shoulders with the stars or flashing cash, Alexandra said keeping her feet on the ground has been most important to her.

She said: "Staying happy and not allowing anything to change me as a person has been my biggest achievement.

"Not money or anything that I’ve bought because it’s so easy to lose yourself in this industry."

Part of the way she has managed to stay grounded is by always turning to her mum, Melissa Bell, for advice.

She was the lead singer of Grammy-winning R&B act Soul II Soul and even worked with Whitney Houston as well as Stevie Wonder and Liza Minnelli.

Alexandra, who will finish work on her third album after The Bodyguard, added: "My mum’s still my singing teacher to this day. She’s incredible and I think she’s one of the best singers out there.

"I started copying her from the age of four or five and I’ve always followed in her footsteps. My mum’s someone who I still go to first for advice every time. I’m very lucky.

"I come from a very musical family and we’ve always relied on music to express how we feel and things like that. Music is what keeps us together."

Alexandra also sang with another of her music heroes, Beyoncé, during her X Factor days and was even invited to go on tour with her.

She described it as a dream come true when she sang Listen with the global star.

Alexandra said: "Singing with her was an honour and something I’ll never forget. She’s someone I look up to very much and she’s pretty much the definition of a hardworking woman."

- The Bodyguard is at Manchester's Palace Theatre from December 8 to January 9. Tickets are from £18.50. Visit atgtickets.com/manchester or call 0844 8713018.

DAVID MORGAN