Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER Published: 17 October 2008
Melissa Bell
Rushed to casualty, mum misses out on Alex’s X Factor joy
THE mother of Islington’s X Factor contestant Alexandra Burke was unable to see her daughter reach the next round at the weekend – because she was in hospital.
Melissa Bell, who suffers from kidney disease and needs regular dialysis, spent Saturday and Sunday at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, on the advice of doctors, following complications with the procedure.
Melissa, a former soul singer who lives off Caledonian Road, was not able to watch the programme on Saturday night because the hospital’s day room TV was broken.
Mother-of-four Melissa had planned to go to the ITV studio in Wembley with other family members and friends, dressed in pink wigs, to provide moral support for Alexandra. “On Saturday morning I went to have my dialysis at the hospital, but a line attached to my chest and the machine broke,” she said. “Potentially, I could have bled to death, so I was rushed down to A&E. “After the treatment I went to the day room to watch the show at 6.45pm. But the TV didn’t work. I was so exhausted from nerves I fell asleep. I didn’t hear that Alex had got into the next round until members of the family visited me on Sunday morning.”
Alex, 20, is still 3-1 favourite to win the competition but there are 11 more rounds and 10 competitors to beat.
Speaking by mobile phone from a secret mansion she shares with other competitors, Alex revealed that she will be singing Michael Jackson’s I’ll Be There on Saturday night.
She added: “I’m taking each day as it comes. I’m happy and cautiously confident. But I still can’t believe I’ve come this far. I’m appealing to Tribune readers to vote for me and put the borough on the map.”
