British singer Alexandra Burke has decided to move away from pop music and relaunch herself as an actress.

The Bad Boys star has released two albums since she shot to fame on Britain's The X Factor in 2008, but she is now plotting a career change.

Burke has been taking acting lessons in recent months and wants to concentrate on working in the theatre, after previously turning down a number of film and Tv roles.

She tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "I'm taking my career in a different direction. In the past there were Tv and movie offers, but I wasn't ready to look at them as I wasn't confident enough."

Burke made her West End debut last year (12) when she made a cameo appearance in Les Miserables as part of a charity fundraiser.