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Charlotte Church's Biography

 
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Who is Charlotte Church?

Charlotte Church was born in 21 February 1986 in Llandaff, Cardiff.

In 1997, Charlotte Church came to the public's attention when she performed Pie Jesu on the television show Talking Telephone Numbers.

Charlotte Church was snapped up by Jonathan Shalit, who became her manager and negotiated a five-album deal with Sony. Later on, Charlotte Church fell out with Shalit, and her mother, Maria, previously a classical guitarist and housing officer, took over as manager.

Charlotte Church pays tribute to the closeness of her family, and stays in regular touch not only with her parents, but also 'my Nanna, my Bampy [grandpa], my auntie, and my little cousin'.

In November 1998, Charlotte Church's debut album, Voice Of An Angel was released. It topped the classical chart.

It was not just in the UK that Charlotte Church was proving a hit. Just like Voice Of An Angel, her 1999 eponymous second album and her 2000 Christmas collection Dream A Dream went platinum in the United States. Her fourth album, Enchantment, released in 2001 entered the Billboard album charts at Number 15.

Charlotte Church also had a commercial success with Jurgen Vries in January 2003.

In the course of her musical career, Church has sang for Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and the Queen.

In April 2002, Charlotte Church become the youngest ever competitor on the BBC's Have I Got News For You and she came out with some excellent anecdotes:

When the Queen met Charlotte Church she asked, "Do you sing often" and Prince Philip replied "Elizabeth, don't you know who this girl is? We listen to her on Classic FM all the time."

Even better, when she met President George W Bush he asked her what state Wales was in!

As she grew older, Charlotte Church became increasingly interested in pop music and she also became a favourite of the tabloids, who have reported on her smoking habit, her social activities, and her relationships.

After splitting with 18-year-old boyfriend, DJ Steven Johnson, whom she referred to as her 'bit of rough', Charlotte Church briefly dated Kyle Johnson, before settling down with Welsh rugby player, Gavin Henson.

In 2003, Charlotte Church made her film debut in I'll Be There.

In May 2005, Charlotte Church said that her new CD was like marmite i.e. you either love it or hate it.

On 1 September 2006, Charlotte Church became one of the youngest ever presenters of a TV show when The Charlotte Church Show launched on Channel 4.

The show rated well enough for Channel 4 to recommission The Charlotte Church Show for at least two more series.

The Radio Times in the last week of November 2005 interviewed Charlotte Church and asked a remarkably direct question - "how much is in your bank account right now?" To which, she gave a remarkably direct reply: £5.5 million.

Charlotte came eighth in The Independent's list of Britain's happiest people.

In the 2006 Glamour Awards, Charlotte Church not only won UK Solo Artist of the Year but she also scooped the Editor's Special Award.

In an interview with The Times in February 2007, Charlotte Church said: "The general public always say, 'But you're so nice', like they expect me to be walking round Tesco hammered."

On September 20, 2007 Charlotte Church gave birth to a girl, Ruby Megan Henson, at her and Gavin's home in St Brides Major, the Vale of Glamorgan.

In September 2007, Charlotte Church published her second autobiography, Keep Smiling.

In June 2008, Charlotte Church revealed she was expecting her second baby and that she would also be presenting the third series of her chat show with filming for The Charlotte Church Show in July and August.

In January 2009, Charlotte Church gave birth to a boy, Dexter Lloyd, weighing 7lb 5oz.

In February 2010, the BBC announced that Charlotte Church would be on the expert panel along with Sheila Hancock and John Partridge helping Andrew Lloyd Webber and the nation to decide on the best Dorothy, in BBC One's Over The Rainbow.

Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson got engaged when he proposed to her on 22 February 2010, the day after her birthday.

However, on 2 June 2010, it was reported that Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson had broken up.

In June 2016, Charlotte Church starred in The Last Mermaid, an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, which she jointly created with her partner Jonny Powell and Sion Trefor.

In May 2017, Charlotte Church announced that she was expecting her third child, however she subsequently lost the unborn baby.

On 16 September 2017, she married the musician Jonny Powell at Cardiff Register Office.

In 2024, she hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Kicking Back with the Cardiffians.



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