Fleur East is "more open to the idea of starting a family now" after losing her dad earlier this year

Speaking to the MailOnline, she explained: "It's interesting because before I was like, 'I'll take it as it comes, I'm not in a rush, we've got time'.

"But as soon as you lose someone, you're like 'Wow OK, you can't really plan for anything, nothing's promised. So it's changed my views on that definitely. I'm a bit more open to the idea of starting a family now.

"I'm still not planning it, but I'm not waiting and saying 'I'll start in a year' or anything like that. We are just letting things happen naturally now!"

The 'Sax' hitmaker - who rose to fame on 'The X Factor' in 2014 - has learned to "appreciate things more" after a difficult year, and she was glad to hvae her mother Irene living with her at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

She said: "I appreciate things more. One, because of the pandemic but also for me on a personal level as I lost my dad just before lockdown.

"It was like, at the moment that I could have my family around me, it meant so much more to me for that reason.

"Thinking of all the things we usually moan about and then having everything put into perspective for me, right at the start of lockdown, definitely gave it a different meaning for me and placed a lot more importance on cherishing your loved ones."

Meanwhile, Fleur recently hailed the last few months of being at home more due to the coronavirus pandemic a "blessing" because it allowed her and spouse Marcel to slow down and reconnect with one another.

She said: "Lockdown was such a blessing for us, actually, because we're normally so busy. If anything, it's like we've done a reset and realised how crucial it is to spend time together.

"It's going to be really hard now to re-adjust to being apart from each other."