Singer Charlotte Church has opened up about her experience of being in the public eye, and has detailed how she was ‘sexualised, patronised and ridiculed’ by the press
Singer Charlotte Church has candidly discussed her experiences of being “sexualised, patronised and ridiculed” by the media during her early days of fame. In a new interview, the Welsh star reflected on her early fame, the ensuing media attention, and her tranquil retreat, The Dreaming, in Powys.
Church shot to stardom at the tender age of 11 after she performed Pie Jesu over the phone on an episode of ITV’s This Morning in 1997. Following a successful stint on an ITV talent show, she released her own classical album and performed globally, earning her the moniker “voice of an angel”.
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While Church expressed gratitude for her experiences, she also revealed the darker aspects of fame that she encountered as she matured. During her teenage years, Church faced intense media scrutiny and was a victim of phone hacking by the now-defunct News of the World.
In her conversation with The Guardian, she stated: “The narrative of who I was in the world, was taken from me, and made into something salacious, or something to be ridiculed.”, reports Wales Online.
She cited her appearance on BBC’s Question Time in 2015 as an example, where she discussed the link between drought related to climate change and the Syrian civil war, a topic she had researched at the time.
Charlotte Church opened up to The Guardian about being misrepresented in the media, saying: “When I said it, it was all over the papers: ‘Voice of an Angel, Brain of Angel Delight: Charlotte Church blames climate change for jihadis.’ I’ve been made into this caricature: sexualised, patronised, ridiculed.”
She also reflected on her involvement with the Leveson Inquiry in 2011 and her legal battle against the News of the World.
The tabloid acknowledged that they had unlawfully intercepted Church’s voicemails for years. In 2012, she accepted a £600,000 settlement for her phone-hacking case against the publication.
Discussing the impact of press intrusion, she shared: “I started to understand deeply what the experience me and my family had at the hands of the press really was,” adding, “How dramatic and painful and shaming and ugly it was for us all.”
In November 2020, Church took interest in Rhydolog House in Powys, once owned by Laura Ashley’s family and up for sale at the time. She went on to purchase the historic property and convert it into a wellness sanctuary named The Dreaming.
While speaking with the Guardian, Church revealed the personal growth she experienced through this venture, stating: “I didn’t have a f***ing clue, but also about myself. I’ve always been incredible open, porous as a cloud. Which is sort of insane, considering how much sh** I’ve had thrown at me. Here, I’ve learned to have boundaries.”
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