Charlotte Church grows up

It’s official. Charlotte Church has grown up. Yes - I know - a long time has passed since that cheeky-grinned and eager-eyed bubbly little 12-year-old was discovered, with the ‘did-that-incredible-sound-really-just-come-out-of-that-little-girl?’ voice that propelled her to global fame. Well, nine years, in fact - Charlotte turned 21 last month. The cute little ‘Voice of an Angel’ phenomenon has long since been replaced with the Charlotte we have all come to know and love - every cleavage-spilling, chain-smoking, binge-drinking, straight-talking teenage inch of her. But now she’s really grown-up. Charlotte Church is going to be a mum. The news was announced at the start of this month. After a week of tabloid speculation and rumour that the singer was expecting, Charlotte confirmed the news on her website, saying she and her Welsh rugby star boyfriend Gavin Henson were "delighted". Shortly after came the announcement that she is planning a career break when baby comes along, so that she can devote her time to caring for her child.While most girls her age are only just graduating, or wondering what on earth they’re going to do with their lives, Charlotte is about to embark on the next phase. The serious phase. Career breaks are usually the realm of the approaching-middle-aged, women who’ve held off having kids so they could battle their way up the ladder first. But then, Charlotte’s not really ‘most girls’, is she?

Her down-to-earth nature and blatant un-starriness is arguably what makes Charlotte so likeable and popular. She may have been a self-made millionaire and household name before she even turned 18, but she was ‘normal’ with it - we all saw the paparazzi snaps of Charlotte slumped in the back of a taxi after one too many cheeky vimtos, or nipping out to the corner shop without having consulted a stylist first.

But when it comes to her life, normal is the last word that springs to mind...

Charlotte’s first taste of the spotlight came at three, during a trip to a holiday camp in Caernarfon, North Wales. Toddler Charlotte got up on stage to sing the ‘Ghostbusters’ song with her cousin. "When we'd finished, she left the stage but I refused to go," she says. "They had to drag me off!"

Probably no surprise, but it looked like Charlotte was born to perform. It soon became clear to her family that Charlotte had a gift - she could really sing. Before long, she was doing the rounds on the local karaoke circuit, taking a few drama lessons, singing in mass every Sunday - Catholic Charlotte attended a cathedral school for two years - and training with a professional voice coach.

Even the biggest classical music hater on the planet couldn’t deny she had talent - phenomenal talent considering her age. And steps were certainly being taken to hone and expose it. But even though it might have been a safe bet that her voice would lead to some degree of success, no one could have imagined just how massive that success would be. And what’s more, while some artists plug away for years before ‘making it’, or landing their ‘break’, fame came effortlessly to Charlotte.In fact, she barely even had to try. Charlotte’s aunt had a slot singing on Jonathan Ross’ ‘Big Big Talent Show’ ten years ago. Charlotte accompanied her on the show and, when Jonathan commented that he’d heard she could sing too and asked for a quick performance, Charlotte launched into a show-stopping rendition of Pie Jesu. The little girl with the big voice instantly became the talk of the town and, before the schoolgirl could even catch her breath, she’d been snapped up. In no time at all, a contract with Sony BMG was signed and Charlotte’s debut album ‘Voice of an Angel’ sold over ten million copies worldwide. Practically overnight, Charlotte had gone from gifted schoolgirl to international household name and, at 12-years-old, the youngest artist of all time to have a number one selling solo album.

Had Charlotte launched as a pre-teen pop star, her story would probably have been very different. No doubt her talent would have been questioned and dismissed, or just plain ignored, by a large proportion of her admirers. But being a classical singer made her serious, and unique. Charlotte sang for the Pope, President Clinton, and Nelson Mandela - the world just couldn’t get enough.

But would they still want to know when Charlotte wasn’t a little girl anymore? She had to grow up someday, after all. Was the novelty going to wear off, and Charlotte Church the superstar become a distant memory?

No chance. Charlotte’s celebrity status was solid as rock.

Like most teenagers, Charlotte changed. The older she got, the more her personality came through - and it didn’t seem to match her angel-like image. The voice of an angel had a wild child streak. Her singing drifted off the mainstream radar - but it didn’t matter. We were all too busy being entertained by her tumultuous private life!

2002 - the year she turned 16 - marked a real turning point for Charlotte. She officially wasn’t a child anymore and, boy, did we know it!

Aside from her behaviour, Charlotte had blossomed into a curvaceous young glamour puss, earning herself the title of ‘Rear of the Year’.

Then there was the ‘bad’ boyfriend, local Cardiff DJ Steven Johnson, who riled her parents. Charlotte’s rows with her mum over her choice of love streamed through the headlines, culminating in Charlotte throwing the ultimate teenage strop and sensationally sacking her mum as her manager.

Her previous manager Jonathan Shalit commented: "So she has had a row with her mother about her boyfriend, and what teenager hasn't?"

Fair point. And just like a normal teenager, Charlotte and her mum made up. Sometimes they fell out, sometimes they got on. But ultimately, they looked out for each other and defended their relationship to outsiders.

Charlotte took up smoking, and began clubbing and drinking. She started wearing revealing clothes, and falling out of clubs in the early hours of the morning, looking worse for wear. All perfectly normal.

Except that for Charlotte, her life was played out in tabloid gossip columns and she had a multi-million pound fortune sitting in her bank account.

But because she remained down to earth, because she refused to diet and adhere to expectations of her and because when she laughed at the wild-child rebel label she’d accrued, she reminded us all to laugh at it too, we all grew rather fond of Charlotte. Turns out she was a good role model - because she’s fun, and real.

Maybe that’s why Charlotte’s managed to pull everything off - switching to pop with her last album ‘Tissues and Issues’ in 2005, trying her hand at acting in ‘I’ll Be There’, landing a new job as a TV presenter with her very own comedy chat and sketch show ‘The Charlotte Church Show’.

Who’d have thought there was more to her than a voice? Charlotte may not have been the world’s best presenter, but she was certainly entertaining, and won Best Female Comedy Newcomer at the 2006 British Comedy Awards, and was named Funniest TV Personality at Loaded Magazine's 2006 ‘LAFTA’ awards.

Whatever the cause, the life of Charlotte has been charmed. And she’s still only 21 - it’s only just beginning, really.

It would have been easy for her to exploit her good fortune. But Charlotte’s chosen to stay loyal to her hometown. She still hangs out with the girls she went to school with, and goes shopping in Tesco with Gavin.

She said recently: "A lot of my friends have settled down now and I'm just happy being at home. Me and Gavin watch DVDs and I'll cook a leg of lamb. I'm becoming quite the proud housewife."

Just as well - now that she has a bun in the over. And for whatever reason, you can’t help but feel Charlotte is going to make a fantastic mum.

By Abi Jackson.