I can't believe the Queen knows my name
With six albums and two Classical Brit Awards under her belt Katherine Jenkins has outsold the Spice Girls. She talks to Maxine Clayman about her life, loves and the 'Taffia'...
You're an international singing star. What keeps you grounded?
My family and friends, or the 'Taffia' as I like to call them. I've been blessed with them and we're all very close. My sister Laura is two years younger than me and lives in London so we see each other regularly. And my mum, Susan, is a typically good, strong, Welsh woman. If I started to get airs and graces she'd put me in my place. When I go home I'm not waited on hand and foot and she doesn't let me get away with anything. I'm still expected to muck in.
Do you miss home?
When I go back to my home town of Neath I have a sense of calm. I can just be me, with the friends I grew up with, who all treat me the same. I can go to the pub with my sister, or for walks with my mum and have some semblance of normality. People come up to say hello, but no one really bothers me. I'd love to move back to Wales in the future. I've lived in London for 10 years, but I don't see myself settling down and having kids there.
Have you been thinking about getting married and starting a family?
One day, but not right now. My parents were together for 25 years and my dream is to have the same kind of happy marriage they did. But at the moment I'm focusing on my career as I'm about to go to Los Angeles for four months.
Do you ever have moments when you think 'how did I get here'?
If you'd asked me five years ago what I'd be doing now I'd never have dreamed this would be my life. I still wake up and wonder how I got to this point. I'm always having to pinch myself to check it's happening to me as it all feels surreal. For instance, I was performing on GMTV and I bumped into Gordon Brown in the corridor and he said, 'Ah Katherine, I've just been speaking to the Queen about you.' Imagine. The Queen and the Prime Minister had been talking about me. That's definitely a story I'll be telling my children.
Have you met the Queen?
I have, but as a little girl I would never have thought that one day I'd be having lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. I was invited to go before the Royal Variety Performance. I couldn't believe I was there so I took a photo in the loos. And the Queen was lovely – she's got a great sense of humour and we chatted about dogs.
Despite her high profile, mezzo-soprano Katherine prefers to keep her relationship with boyfriend, TV presenter Gethin Jones, private
I'm not the type
of girl who has
to wear make-up to go to the
corner shop
You mix with people from all walks of life, from the Queen to the troops you entertain in Iraq. Do you think you being so nice is the secret to your success?
I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm lucky I'm passionate about what I do and I enjoy it. I'm pretty determined and I've worked really hard. My parents didn't have much money when I was growing up and mum always instilled in me the importance of being able to stand on my own two feet. Mum was the main breadwinner and she taught me not to rely on anyone else. She's given my sister and me a solid work ethic.
You've worked hard for it but is money important to you?
I am careful with what I spend. In our house we never bought anything on credit. If we needed a new washing machine my parents saved for it, then they would agonise over which one to choose as it was a big decision. Being brought up in that environment I could never be frivolous. My mum would kill me. My biggest extravagance is my new house, but that's more of an investment. And I splash out on specially made concert dresses now and again.
Are you a fan of getting glammed up?
I love it. I'm such a girly girl. But at the same time it is nice when I'm not working to be able to go without make-up. I'm not the type of girl who has to wear it to go to the corner shop.
So how bothered are you by your appearance?
You see magazines and there's this pressure to look a certain way. I suffered from anorexia when I was younger. I didn't realise how bad it had become until my mum told me I was being ridiculous. As I've got older I've become more comfortable in my own skin. Now if someone told me to slim down I'd be furious. Besides, you'd never see a size zero opera singer – you need to be a healthy size to have the power to project your voice.
Sadly, you lost your dad, Selwyn, to cancer when you were 15. What affect did his death have on you?
When you lose a parent you're forced to grow up quickly and you have a different set of priorities. We all had to help each other get through it as a family. My best friend Kristy also lost her mum to cancer, so we knew what the other was going through.
Dad came to me in a dream the night before a maths exam and told me to look under the bed. When I woke up I looked and there was a maths notebook with an equation written in it that I'd forgotten to swot up on. The next day the same equation appeared on my maths paper. I've no doubt it was my dad's way of telling me he'll always be there to help me.
Is dedicating your albums to your dad your way of keeping his memory alive?
I'm a firm believer that talking about my dad's death is cathartic. At first when people used to ask about him I'd fight back the tears, but now I smile. He would have wanted this for me. I know he's always watching over me. I don't understand how, but I just know he's there.
Katherine Jenkins' latest album Sacred Arias is out now