Charlotte Church’s childhood fame came at a huge price for her whole family.
The Welsh singer rocketed to fame at just 12-years-old, selling millions of records worldwide with her astonishing soprano voice. A career that led her to perform for the Pope, the Royal Family and a President.
Now, the self-confessed activist is launching a brand new podcast and has reflected back on the darker moments of shooting to fame at such a young age. Charlotte now believes that her family were “used” because of their lack of experience in the industry.
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“My parents came into it and they were so green, we all were. We got massively taken advantage of because we were quite humble working class people from Cardiff who just got thrown into this extraordinary situation,” added the 38-year-old singer.
(Image: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“What happened with the tabloid press in my adolescence was pretty horrendous. But it’s been really interesting hearing from my family about what it was like for them; the pressure of being a parent to a child star,” she said.
The mum-of-three had previously compared life in the limelight to being in a “psychological grinder”. She explained that fame weighed heavy on her family, likening their relationships to a “pressure cooker”.
(Image: Channel 4 Picture Publicity)
Reflecting on the situation, Charlotte said: “I look back and I wish I would have had enough confidence in myself, my creativity and my convictions to have been a bit more confident in my voice and my music and my choices rather than being made to feel like a product.
“But my family and I were really inexperienced – we were just totally plucked out of working class Wales and put on this global stage so it’s been a process of shedding the stuff that didn’t work for us and for me – being a product.”
(Image: Channel 4 Picture Publicity)
The chart topper went on to say: “I’m also a bit older now so I try not to look back too much. I don’t think it always brings positive energy.”
Her new BBC Sounds podcast, Kicking Back with the Cardiffians, follows Charlotte’s relationship with her family and what she’s learned about her parents over the years. As a tight unit, they’ve moved forwards from past negativity.
Charlotte said on the Podcast: “My family is hilarious with big personalities. I thought by chatting to them I could understand how my upbringing has been shaped and also prompt listeners to start their own conversations with the people around them.
“What I found with this process was that by speaking to my family and friends it made me remember there had been loads of good stuff in my past. There was a lot of support, a lot of love, and that was wonderful.”
Kicking Back With the Cardiffians is out now on BBC Sounds
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
