:00:21. > :00:25.Just listen to the sounds coming out of these rehearsal rooms. Lucky
:00:25. > :00:35.students, training hard to be professional, classical singers and
:00:35. > :00:43.
:00:43. > :00:50.Soprano Cathy is training to be a professional singer. This is
:00:50. > :00:54.preparation for opera school auditions. It is in two weeks.
:00:54. > :00:58.me, you sound amazing. These young people are the most
:00:58. > :01:04.recent in a long line of Royal Academy students with plenty of
:01:04. > :01:09.talent and big dreams. In 1997, a shy young girl from South Wales
:01:09. > :01:15.came here, to the Royal Academy, with one great ambition. She wanted
:01:15. > :01:25.to be a successful classical singer. And it was only in a very few short
:01:25. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:30.years that the ambition was Katherine Jenkins is now one of
:01:30. > :01:35.Britain's most successful performance. She has had numerous
:01:35. > :01:40.hit albums and musical wards. Although purists may not approve of
:01:40. > :01:50.her extravagant stage shows, there is no denying she has brought a
:01:50. > :01:50.
:01:50. > :01:55.whole new audience to classical and She's got a cracking voice. Her
:01:55. > :02:02.persona is so strong and beautiful. I think she will be going for ever
:02:02. > :02:12.and ever. When I first saw Catherine, she came walking into
:02:12. > :02:15.
:02:15. > :02:19.the GMT studio and immediately I She walks her talk. What you see is
:02:19. > :02:27.what you get. She touches the audience. They are cleverer than
:02:27. > :02:30.you think at picking up what is true and sincere. But her time in
:02:30. > :02:35.the spotlight has not been without its down sides. I wasn't sure if
:02:35. > :02:40.this was going to be a career- ending moment. People, at this
:02:40. > :02:46.point, still thought that I was very saintly. She might not be a
:02:47. > :02:51.saint, but she has inherited the title held by Dame Vera Lynn. That
:02:51. > :02:55.of forces sweetheart. I sometimes think of Catherine as a bit of a GI
:02:55. > :03:02.Jane. She has made many trips to the front line to entertain British
:03:02. > :03:07.troops. Afghanistan, she is like, when is the next plane I can get
:03:07. > :03:17.out on? She has even appeared on Dr Who. The shy student from the Royal
:03:17. > :03:23.
:03:23. > :03:26.I know that her first love was sacred music. I wonder if that was
:03:26. > :03:36.born of her faith, and if she can still have bad faith in a life that
:03:36. > :03:47.
:03:47. > :03:51.is so fast and furious. -- have I met up with Catherine at a London
:03:51. > :03:59.hotel, not far from the Royal Academy. The first thing I wanted
:03:59. > :04:03.to know was when she realised she had a singing voice. I don't know
:04:03. > :04:07.if I really thought about it like that. I was wanting to sing because
:04:07. > :04:12.it was something that really made me happy. That was the whole reason
:04:12. > :04:17.for his in the beginning. It wasn't until I won choir girl of the year,
:04:17. > :04:24.when I was 10 or 11, that was the first achievement I had been
:04:24. > :04:29.singing. People started telling my mum that I should have lessons,
:04:29. > :04:33.before that it was just enjoyment. When somebody comes to you and says,
:04:33. > :04:38.you could train up and do lessons, do you think it is not going to be
:04:38. > :04:43.so much fun? I was really excited about the prospect of learning to
:04:43. > :04:49.sing. I had been doing that in church. But this would have been on
:04:49. > :04:52.my own, finding a singing teacher. Yeah, that was really exciting. I
:04:52. > :04:57.remember having to ask my mum, for quite a long time, if I could have
:04:57. > :05:01.them. She didn't let me have them straight away. Was money a
:05:02. > :05:05.question? It must have been expensive. Yeah, and my parents
:05:06. > :05:10.didn't have tons of money to play around with. I am so grateful that
:05:10. > :05:14.they found whatever they could to put on the lessons. I think they
:05:14. > :05:20.just wanted me to really want it. What was your earliest memory of
:05:20. > :05:24.standing up and singing to an audience? I was four. I sang in a
:05:24. > :05:28.school talent show, in the church hall next to the school. I remember
:05:28. > :05:34.hearing about the show and running out of school and saying to my mum,
:05:34. > :05:40.there is a show and I have to sing, you have to teach me a song. She
:05:40. > :05:45.taught me a song called going down the garden to eat worms. It had all
:05:45. > :05:50.the actions. She dressed me up in this Q2 dress. I remember it like
:05:50. > :05:56.yesterday. She was first on, being the youngest. The headmaster stood
:05:57. > :06:03.in front of her. She had little pigtails and a little dress. She
:06:03. > :06:09.was dying to get going. She kept starting the song as he tried to
:06:10. > :06:18.introduce her. He had to practically sit on her, it was
:06:18. > :06:24.quite funny. But she did it very # Go down the garden to eat worms...
:06:24. > :06:28.I was just amazed at her precociousness.
:06:28. > :06:33.From that moment, do you think that was the moment that ambition was
:06:33. > :06:37.born in you? I think that is the moment when I knew that I loved it.
:06:37. > :06:46.I heard the applause and laughter. I thought, I quite like this. I
:06:46. > :06:50.think that is the moment that the When most little girls were dancing
:06:50. > :06:55.around their bedrooms, listening to pop music, the young Katherine
:06:55. > :07:05.Jenkins was into sacred music. And they are still at the heart of her
:07:05. > :07:09.
:07:09. > :07:13.Songs of Praise had been particularly poignant in her career.
:07:13. > :07:18.I always made sure that we were there from the beginning, because
:07:18. > :07:21.of her spirituality and because of her singing the sacred arias. I
:07:21. > :07:31.think she has proved there is a definite market place for sacred
:07:31. > :07:34.
:07:34. > :07:38.Why was it that church music, sacred music appealed to you?
:07:38. > :07:46.feel it is a very pure kind of music. Singing in church always
:07:46. > :07:56.sounds really good. I am really drawn to these good Welsh hymns.
:07:56. > :07:56.
:07:56. > :08:02.That is probably why I keep going back to them. Singing in church,
:08:02. > :08:06.you were a church-going family? from as young as I can remember we
:08:06. > :08:12.would attend Sunday school, go to church. I joined the choir when I
:08:12. > :08:17.was seven and my sister followed when she was about 6 and a half. I
:08:17. > :08:22.feel like quite a lot of my time growing up was spent in church. I
:08:22. > :08:26.was there in the choir for 10 years. But it was an amazing time. I had
:08:26. > :08:30.great friends in the choir. That is why I learned to sing. Your
:08:30. > :08:37.Christian faith is strong? Yes, I would say so. I think I have had
:08:37. > :08:42.times when I have maybe lost it. But it is something that I think
:08:42. > :08:45.you have really strongly within you. Even though I am not able now to
:08:45. > :08:50.attend one particular church regularly, because of my travelling,
:08:50. > :08:57.I still think I have that within meet. I try to go with my mum when
:08:57. > :09:02.I get back home. Do you think your talent to seeing his God-given?
:09:02. > :09:08.think it is a gift, I do. I think it is something that I have a
:09:08. > :09:16.responsibility to look after. I know that I am lucky to have it. I
:09:16. > :09:21.feel lucky that I am able to sing. Her beliefs and Christianity, that
:09:21. > :09:28.underpinning of what is good in the world, it is really testament to
:09:28. > :09:33.how she is, day to day. She is very honest. She is very truthful. She
:09:33. > :09:38.is very courageous. Her faith is evident throughout her everyday
:09:38. > :09:44.life. She walks her talk. What you see is what you get. Everybody asks
:09:44. > :09:50.me, is she as nice as she seems? The answer is absolutely yes. What
:09:50. > :09:56.you see is what you get. She grow up in the small market town of
:09:56. > :10:04.Neath, South Wales. Her parents, Susan and Selwyn, gave Catherine
:10:04. > :10:07.and her younger sister an idyllic childhood. It is the kind of place
:10:07. > :10:14.where it feels everybody knows everybody. There was a real sense
:10:14. > :10:19.of community. My family are very close-knit, quite big, and
:10:19. > :10:25.socialised with each other a lot. My cousins felt almost like sisters.
:10:25. > :10:30.You know, really good memories. Your mother and your father, there
:10:30. > :10:38.was quite an age gap between them. It was a real love story? I think
:10:38. > :10:44.it was about 23 years. My mum went back to work and my father took
:10:44. > :10:48.early retirement. Then, that was quite a forward step from my dad,
:10:48. > :10:52.coming from a different generation. He became the house husband and
:10:52. > :10:57.spent most of the time with me and Laura. I feel, having had an older
:10:57. > :11:02.father, he was just so worldly Wise is and calm, because he had been
:11:02. > :11:06.there and done everything. I think he definitely passed that on to us.
:11:06. > :11:16.His routine would be to get you up and off to school? Make packed
:11:16. > :11:19.
:11:19. > :11:24.lunches, drive us to school. Take the neighbours. Whenever we got
:11:24. > :11:27.home, we would ask him what had happened in Neighbours. We would
:11:27. > :11:30.get home, we would watch it together and he would make tea
:11:30. > :11:35.before mum came home. The first thing I think about when I think
:11:35. > :11:40.about my dad is the laughter. Even down to my singing, not taking it
:11:40. > :11:47.too seriously. Trying to make me laugh through it and make sure I
:11:47. > :11:55.was enjoying it. My best memories of him are of him clowning around,
:11:55. > :11:59.singing, just making everybody laugh. Selwyn and Susan had clearly
:11:59. > :12:08.created a happy home for their daughters. But the good times were
:12:08. > :12:13.not to last. At 15, on the eve of your GCSEs, he was... He had just
:12:14. > :12:19.turned 70. He died. He had terrible and cancer. You didn't know he was
:12:19. > :12:25.ill for quite a while, did you? think we knew that something was
:12:25. > :12:32.wrong. But we didn't know what. I remember my mum coming to talk to
:12:32. > :12:38.me and Laura. I remember thinking it would be a lot longer. If I am
:12:38. > :12:44.remembering it right, I think it was only a couple of months. I was
:12:44. > :12:49.in school, being pulled out of school by my aunt to say, your dad
:12:49. > :12:53.has slipped into a coma and we need to go to the hospice. Somebody said
:12:53. > :12:58.the very important thing, that although he was in a coma, he could
:12:58. > :13:07.hear? I'm sorry. It's OK. But you have the opportunity to speak to
:13:08. > :13:11.him? Yes, even at 15 you're not really prepared. Even though I had
:13:11. > :13:16.two months with him, I still thought he was going to get better.
:13:16. > :13:20.Which is crazy, but I still did think that. So I didn't say goodbye
:13:20. > :13:25.when I should have done. But I am grateful that the nurse spoke to me
:13:25. > :13:35.and said, you know, have a bit of time with him because he can hear
:13:35. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:41.Selwyn never again -- regained consciousness and died on 7th May,
:13:42. > :13:51.1995. It affected both of my daughters. They held it together
:13:51. > :14:00.for me. But I think it also gave them determination to make him
:14:00. > :14:04.proud and make me proud. And help me. Your grief at the time, when
:14:04. > :14:12.you are only 15 and the next couple of days you have got to get on with
:14:12. > :14:15.your GCSEs, your grief manifested itself in anger, really? It was the
:14:15. > :14:20.long summer that you have after your GCSEs. You really have time to
:14:20. > :14:27.think. I think that is when I did lose my faith in God. I was really
:14:27. > :14:34.angry at God for allowing this to happen to my dad. I was having
:14:34. > :14:38.crazy dreams, horrible nightmares about him being ill. I went to see
:14:38. > :14:42.a counsellor and it is the best thing I could have done. I think
:14:42. > :14:46.you need to talk to somebody that is not related to it. You cannot
:14:46. > :14:50.talk to your mum. I couldn't talk to my sister because we were all
:14:50. > :14:55.having to be strong for each other. The grief counsellor told you to
:14:55. > :15:01.write off part paid letter? Yes. You wrote a very long letter to him.
:15:01. > :15:11.I did. Has anybody ever seen it? and nobody will. But you still have
:15:11. > :15:16.
:15:16. > :15:21.After the tragedy of losing her father, Katherine found some
:15:21. > :15:28.comfort in the belief that he was still guiding her. Soon after he
:15:28. > :15:35.died, a remarkable thing happened. I know he's here, I feel that quite
:15:35. > :15:40.often, and I felt it the first time was actually doing my GCSEs. My
:15:40. > :15:46.least favourite subject would-be maths, and it was on the eve of my
:15:46. > :15:54.exam. I was prepared, and I had a dream where my dad was telling me
:15:54. > :16:00.to look under my bed for a book. I woke up and thought there will not
:16:00. > :16:06.be a book I have not revised, and I found this book with one page in it,
:16:06. > :16:14.it was an algebra equation. I read that, and went back to sleep, and
:16:14. > :16:19.it turned up on the last page of my exam. It was that equation. I
:16:19. > :16:24.couldn't believe it. I felt so strongly that my dad had helped me
:16:24. > :16:29.in that exam, because he had always helped me with my maths homework,
:16:29. > :16:36.and he helped me again. I ended up getting an A grade, which was a
:16:36. > :16:40.complete fluke, and I still talk to him when I go on stage. Just when
:16:41. > :16:50.the orchestra is playing the overture, I know I am going on, and
:16:51. > :17:01.
:17:01. > :17:11.I say "help me, Dad, to sing well". It's nice that she always thinks he
:17:11. > :17:14.
:17:14. > :17:24.is there with her, and I am sure he is. some people might think I am
:17:24. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:28.crazy but I do believe he is watching over the three of us.
:17:28. > :17:33.Katherine was very young when she lost her father. There is no good
:17:33. > :17:38.time to lose a parent, my dad has been gone for about 20 years and I
:17:38. > :17:42.think about him every day. He will have been a massive influence on
:17:42. > :17:46.her, and everyone who achieves success without our parents being
:17:46. > :17:52.there to witness, there will always be a melancholy about that, there
:17:52. > :17:58.will always be a regret, there will always be I wonder what he would
:17:58. > :18:02.have thought of that. The anger that Katherine felt towards God for
:18:02. > :18:09.allowing her father to die is perhaps understandable. I wondered
:18:09. > :18:15.how long it took for her to regain her faith. I would say it took
:18:15. > :18:22.quite a few years. I think probably more into my sort-of 23, 24,
:18:22. > :18:26.something like that, before it really... I still had my faith, but
:18:27. > :18:32.there were points where I've really questioned it and I think now it is
:18:32. > :18:37.something as I get older, it grows more and more, it becomes more
:18:37. > :18:44.important. I see that in my mum and I see it is important to her as
:18:44. > :18:49.well. I have a godson and it is important to pass that on. I feel
:18:49. > :18:55.it is something that will only grow from this point on. Has it taken
:18:55. > :19:02.away your fear of death? Do you have any fear of dying? And no, I
:19:02. > :19:07.don't. Life is so short, and I think as long as you have made it
:19:07. > :19:12.everything you can, that is the one thing I learnt from losing my
:19:12. > :19:18.father so young. You have to treasure every day, and take every
:19:18. > :19:24.opportunity. I really feel like I have done that so I am not scared
:19:24. > :19:30.about that at all. Throughout her teens, Katherine retained her love
:19:30. > :19:34.of singing. She progressed through the church choir, and won a number
:19:34. > :19:43.of competitions. Her voice was getting her noticed. I think it has
:19:43. > :19:49.got a velvety quality, and a sort of kind quality, and I think she
:19:49. > :19:53.has that in spades. It is like a chocolate, and soothing. During one
:19:53. > :19:59.Christmas carol concert when she was 18, Katherine discovered her
:19:59. > :20:09.voice also had explosive potential. Is it true that you shattered
:20:09. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:16.chandelier? Was it the top be? I was singing in Swansea and I was
:20:16. > :20:21.the soloist with my college choir, and when I hit the high note there
:20:22. > :20:25.was this bang, but it sounded like a gunshot. The audience docked, and
:20:25. > :20:35.we were all startled and there were pieces of glass coming down from
:20:35. > :20:36.
:20:36. > :20:40.the ceiling. I realised then, oh, OK! You think that is only things
:20:40. > :20:45.that happen in cartoons. I don't think I could make that happen
:20:45. > :20:52.again, but I would love to do it as a party trick. Katherine decided
:20:52. > :21:00.she wanted to make music her career. In 1997, she won a scholarship to
:21:00. > :21:07.the Royal Academy of music. It was a dream come true, but a scary
:21:07. > :21:13.prospect none the less. She was in an outstanding year, she was the
:21:13. > :21:17.youngest in her year. London itself is just intimidating, but also it
:21:17. > :21:23.is a famous institution, an old institution, and that can be
:21:23. > :21:28.daunting. It was a huge thing for me coming
:21:28. > :21:38.from somewhere like Neath. I didn't know any other singers like myself.
:21:38. > :21:45.I was petrified I would be in a class of geeks! I thought they
:21:45. > :21:51.would be people not like me, I thought they would be very posh
:21:51. > :21:58.people and in a certain way and I was not going to fit in. Then I
:21:58. > :22:02.came to the academy, and they were all people who had a voice but they
:22:02. > :22:07.were also young and wanted to do fun things. I thought this was
:22:07. > :22:12.amazing, I couldn't believe how we gelled so quickly. I taught her
:22:12. > :22:17.this technique of singing, how to breed, have to place your voice,
:22:17. > :22:22.but also to prepare her for the profession. The business head, a
:22:22. > :22:28.real application, motivation, she had all of these things from an
:22:28. > :22:32.early start. It is not like going to university. I look at my friends
:22:32. > :22:38.who went into the student union thing, and you don't have that at
:22:38. > :22:42.the Royal Academy. It is much more intense. Every day you are all
:22:42. > :22:48.begins your peers and it is a very intense place but there is fun as
:22:48. > :22:52.well. It was that quest for fun that would land Katherine in
:22:52. > :23:02.trouble a decade later. In 2008, she admitted in an interview that
:23:02. > :23:03.
:23:03. > :23:07.as a student she had experimented with drugs. Being an angel was
:23:07. > :23:12.never her trademark, and the general public, let's be honest,
:23:12. > :23:16.they liked the fact people can come clean and move on. I am not going
:23:17. > :23:21.to dwell on this but you fell into the trap of drugs and partying and
:23:21. > :23:25.you have spoken about this before, but with a bit more distance and
:23:25. > :23:33.hindsight, if you could say to somebody else who was facing that
:23:33. > :23:40.temptation, what would you say? Funny, I wish I had not done it. I
:23:40. > :23:46.look back and it is something I feel has been exaggerated in that
:23:46. > :23:51.it wasn't a drugs problem. It was a teenage thing of experimenting in
:23:51. > :23:56.things and rebelling, doing things you shouldn't do, but I realised
:23:56. > :24:02.pretty quickly that wasn't for me and I am glad I had that strength
:24:02. > :24:08.to see that, but I am not... I don't regret talking about it. I
:24:08. > :24:12.regret doing it, but not talking about it, because I feel like, if
:24:12. > :24:17.one person listens to that and thinks actually, she tried it and
:24:17. > :24:25.it didn't work, then I hope that puts somebody else off.
:24:25. > :24:30.instance, your godson, if he was 17 and just going to university and he
:24:30. > :24:35.said I know that you did these things so why shouldn't I? I would
:24:35. > :24:39.just be really honest and I would be there to talk about it with him.
:24:39. > :24:44.I have unfortunately got the experience to talk about it with
:24:44. > :24:48.him but I would hope for the use that in a positive way. I don't
:24:49. > :24:53.think... If somebody is going to do things, they are going to do it,
:24:53. > :24:58.but I hope I could be there to be the person who could understand in
:24:58. > :25:02.some way. Also, you're doing it at a time when you don't realise how
:25:02. > :25:08.famous he will be. When somebody says they have a story they will
:25:08. > :25:13.sell to the papers, you have to make a decision. Do I come clean
:25:13. > :25:19.and say this before There is a massive story or let it happen and
:25:19. > :25:23.keep quiet? It was the best thing to talk about it. I had had a chat
:25:23. > :25:29.with Piers Morgan about it and I felt uncomfortable I had not been
:25:29. > :25:33.completely honest with him. I did an interview with him for GQ, and I
:25:33. > :25:37.felt when he asked me the question about drugs, I didn't really know
:25:37. > :25:42.how to respond because I was conscious about the fact that in
:25:42. > :25:46.some ways I am a role model to young people and if I am saying yes,
:25:46. > :25:51.and my some are saying that is fine to go ahead and do that, and if I
:25:51. > :25:56.said No I was not telling the truth. It was something that really
:25:56. > :26:03.bothered me, and the nights after that I had conversations with my
:26:03. > :26:09.friends - what do I do about this, shall I put it right? And I am glad
:26:09. > :26:13.I did. Katherine decided to contact Piers Morgan and set the record
:26:13. > :26:18.straight. She admitted she had lied. I remember when we were at the
:26:18. > :26:25.Festival of Remembrance with Katherine when the story came out.
:26:25. > :26:30.I remember being upset about it, all of us being upset because we
:26:30. > :26:35.are protective of her, and I think she did the right thing. I wasn't
:26:35. > :26:39.sure if this was going to be a career ending moment because people
:26:39. > :26:49.still thought I was very sent me, even though I had never said that
:26:49. > :26:52.
:26:52. > :26:57.about myself. -- saintly. In fact, the response was very humbling
:26:57. > :27:01.because it shows how much sense people have got. People said we
:27:01. > :27:09.have all done so me things, just unfortunately for you you are
:27:09. > :27:14.famous and everyone will know about it. I really appreciated that.
:27:14. > :27:19.mum, again, it is very important, when you have got to tell her
:27:19. > :27:23.something you know will horrify her. How did you react? She knew because
:27:24. > :27:29.we had talked about it at the time, just after the time. I have always
:27:29. > :27:34.been quite open with my mum, I talked about it then. Of course she
:27:34. > :27:40.wasn't happy but she did know. actually, as a parent, you are
:27:40. > :27:48.dismayed but I had been reassured it was only an experiment, it
:27:48. > :27:53.hadn't gone any further. I am sure everybody, many people, experiment.
:27:53. > :27:59.I was proud that she had admitted it, and I am still proud of her.
:27:59. > :28:05.What does the whole drugs situation tell you? It tells you she is human,
:28:06. > :28:09.do we think any worse of her for it? I certainly don't.
:28:09. > :28:14.Katherine Jenkins who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music was
:28:14. > :28:18.a lot more confident and worldly wise than the girl who had first
:28:18. > :28:21.arrived four years before. She decided to become a music teacher
:28:21. > :28:27.to earn some money so she could return to the Academy and continue
:28:27. > :28:33.her studies. Katherine was brought in as my singing teacher when I was
:28:33. > :28:43.in a girl band. She came in every weekend to rehearse and teach us
:28:43. > :28:47.have to sing. She always made the classes fun and as a result we
:28:47. > :28:55.became friends. It was clear she had an amazing talent, and for that
:28:55. > :28:59.not to be put to good use as it has been would have been a real shame.
:28:59. > :29:05.From Katherine, I have learnt obviously how to sing, but more
:29:05. > :29:09.than that just have to... She is just a very, very inspiring person
:29:09. > :29:14.to know. A friend who believed Katherine have potential suggested
:29:14. > :29:23.she made a demo tape that could be sent to record companies. One of
:29:23. > :29:27.the largest, Universal Music, liked They just wanted to meet me to
:29:27. > :29:32.start with. They had heard the demo. I just remember meeting them, and
:29:32. > :29:37.they said, where are you from? I said Wales and I felt that they'd
:29:37. > :29:42.liked that. They asked what I was doing, I said I was teaching. They
:29:42. > :29:48.quite liked that. I felt it was going in a positive direction. I
:29:48. > :29:53.felt like I was just having a chat. They said, we need to see you
:29:53. > :29:59.singing live, would it be OK to arrange a showcase? A couple of
:29:59. > :30:06.weeks later they hired a studio and I went in. It was four record
:30:06. > :30:10.company people. When she first came into the room, she did look nervous.
:30:10. > :30:14.I remember thinking, poor kid. I always feel really sorry for any
:30:14. > :30:18.artist that has to be in that situation, in a static situation,
:30:18. > :30:23.where you have a record company executive staring at you, looking
:30:23. > :30:28.totally emotionless. I sang my programme from my final recital at
:30:28. > :30:33.the Royal Academy. Right at the end, they said, well, do you know any
:30:33. > :30:38.musical theatre? And that is not what I had been studying. I turned
:30:38. > :30:48.to my pianist, I said, do you know what I dream daydream? We just
:30:48. > :30:53.busked it. -- I dream to a dream. She sang it off the cuff, I don't
:30:53. > :30:59.even know if she knew the words. sang it, they said, thanks, I'll
:30:59. > :31:02.let you know. They didn't look that interested. They looked bored.
:31:02. > :31:06.don't think we did, but I can forgive her for thinking we'd
:31:06. > :31:11.looked bored. On the way home I called my mum and said, it didn't
:31:11. > :31:19.go very well, they didn't look very happy. I kind of cried on the phone.
:31:19. > :31:23.I remember thinking, yes, she has definitely got it. Within an hour
:31:23. > :31:28.of getting home, I got this call. They said, we are going to offer
:31:28. > :31:31.you a six album deal. You need to get a lawyer. I cried all day again.
:31:31. > :31:37.When you finally got a pay cheque from them, could you tell me how
:31:37. > :31:42.much it was? About �30,000. Wow. And you have to take that to the
:31:42. > :31:48.bank? I took it to the bank, the lady in Barclay is said to me, why
:31:48. > :31:58.have you got a cheque for this much money? It kind of spoiled the
:31:58. > :31:59.
:32:00. > :32:05.moment a little bit. I was really proud that this was my record deal.
:32:05. > :32:09.I had to explain, I've got a record deal. It was a bit strange.
:32:09. > :32:13.didn't believe you? She thought I was cashing in somebody else's
:32:13. > :32:17.cheque. If the first record deal hadn't worked out, what do you
:32:17. > :32:24.think he would be doing now? would probably still be teaching
:32:24. > :32:28.singing. Maybe be in a very small opera chorus, working my way up.
:32:28. > :32:32.That is what I thought my life would be. And I would have been
:32:32. > :32:40.happy doing that. It's amazing how one phone call can change
:32:40. > :32:45.everything. I know. It did feel like a dream. If you wrote that in
:32:45. > :32:53.a film script, it would almost be too easy for it to happen in that
:32:53. > :32:58.way. Do you feel God's hand in there? Destiny? I feel there is a
:32:58. > :33:08.bigger power than me that is putting this path in front of me. I
:33:08. > :33:08.
:33:08. > :33:11.think that is a mixture of my dad Katherine's debut album reached the
:33:11. > :33:17.top of the classical charts in April 2004. She began touring and
:33:17. > :33:23.became a regular on TV screens. next guest is the lovely Katherine
:33:23. > :33:29.Jenkins. Please welcome Katherine Jenkins. Ladies and gentlemen, the
:33:29. > :33:33.fabulous Katherine Jenkins. There was just something different about
:33:33. > :33:36.this girl. She wasn't just a classical singer. There was star
:33:36. > :33:40.quality, but there was accessibility. If you have the
:33:40. > :33:44.magic ingredients of true talent and a lovely personality, or VST
:33:44. > :33:53.you are going to be taken into the hearts of many. -- obviously, you
:33:53. > :33:58.are going to be taken into the She touches the audience. I think
:33:58. > :34:08.the warmth of her personality shows itself. It comes over. The audience
:34:08. > :34:13.
:34:13. > :34:21.is cleverer than we think. They # Sharing words of love and
:34:21. > :34:27.Her voice is clearly the key to her success. To look after it, she has
:34:27. > :34:33.developed a strict regime. There are so many things. I don't drink
:34:33. > :34:38.alcohol before I am singing. Derry, spicy foods, I avoid those. Often,
:34:38. > :34:43.I will go from one concert to the next one, if I am on tour, without
:34:43. > :34:49.speaking one word. That can be quite nice. For people around me!
:34:49. > :34:57.Do you write notes? I write notes, I send texts. I will even mess
:34:57. > :35:02.around and play give me a clue. But my mum and my friends have got
:35:02. > :35:07.really good at lip-reading. long before the performance do you
:35:07. > :35:11.start warming it up again? If I was sitting at 7.30, I would start
:35:11. > :35:17.talking again maybe at 4 o'clock. Suddenly I will announce, OK, I can
:35:17. > :35:22.talk. Then it is a lot easier. preparation, not just for your
:35:22. > :35:26.voice but for the outer Katherine, is that a kind of meditation?
:35:26. > :35:31.find when I am getting ready for a concert that I do my own hair and
:35:31. > :35:36.make-up, usually. I find that is my time to mentally prepare myself and
:35:36. > :35:41.get myself into the mood of being on stage. That is something that I
:35:41. > :35:49.really look forward to, being on stage. I feel really natural.
:35:49. > :35:52.nerves? No, this calm. And I am so grateful for this. It is something
:35:53. > :35:57.that happened when I sang for the first time that the Millennium
:35:57. > :36:00.Stadium in Cardiff. I had just been signed with my record contract. It
:36:00. > :36:05.was my first time singing in front of such a huge crowd. I was
:36:05. > :36:09.petrified. I have always been a nervous performer, especially as a
:36:09. > :36:14.teenager. I feel that it cured it, because it is never going to be
:36:14. > :36:23.that bad again. I was thrown in at the deep end, so now I am this calm
:36:23. > :36:28.when I step out. I would like to # Spend all your time waiting for
:36:28. > :36:36.that second chance. # For a break that would make it OK.
:36:36. > :36:46.She is blessed, really. It is a gift. I think her father looks over
:36:46. > :36:48.
:36:48. > :36:53.her, and gives her an extra surge I am interested in how Katherine is
:36:53. > :36:58.coping with the downside of fame. Life is very different for her, now
:36:58. > :37:05.she is successful. The press intrusion, the touring, the many TV
:37:05. > :37:10.appearances. It is a far cry from the simplicity of performing in a
:37:10. > :37:16.church choir in Neath. How much does the rigmarole of fame, fortune,
:37:16. > :37:21.all of this busy mess, affect the purity of you just getting on stage
:37:21. > :37:26.and singing? The trappings can get in the way. There are so many
:37:27. > :37:31.different parts of what I have to do a, interviews, photo-shoots,
:37:31. > :37:38.travelling, the recording. If I am totally honest, the better I love
:37:38. > :37:42.the most is a live performance. That is why I do everything else. I
:37:42. > :37:50.love been on tour, I love performing live with an orchestra.
:37:51. > :37:54.I love the connection with the audience. In some ways, to be in
:37:54. > :38:00.the studio and have months way you completely focus and make something
:38:00. > :38:04.as perfect as you can make it, that is also a lovely thing. But the
:38:04. > :38:11.rest of its kind of goes hand in hand with it. But I would always
:38:11. > :38:16.choose the music part of it. Success also means that something
:38:16. > :38:22.has got to give. For Katherine, the biggest sacrifice his time with her
:38:22. > :38:25.friends and family. When you're working that hard to promote albums,
:38:25. > :38:30.on the road all the time, you're never home, you don't see your
:38:30. > :38:35.mum... I think it is really hard to keep a relationship with anyone in
:38:35. > :38:39.your life, it when you are travelling like that. My mum, she
:38:39. > :38:43.still wants me to call more often and I would like to get back to
:38:43. > :38:46.Wales more often. I think it is something that you have just got to
:38:46. > :38:50.really fight, to keep the relationships in your life that are
:38:50. > :38:56.worth keeping. And you felt driven enough to think, I have been given
:38:56. > :38:59.this opportunity, I must work at it? I do feel like that. I feel
:39:00. > :39:04.like the people in my life who really love me can see the
:39:04. > :39:08.opportunity, can see that I have to make the most of it, can see how
:39:08. > :39:11.happy it makes me. I think they all kind of think that maybe it is
:39:11. > :39:21.something I have to do now. They are there for me and I will be
:39:21. > :39:22.
:39:22. > :39:30.# I tell myself you are coming home, like you have done 1 million times.
:39:30. > :39:34.# If it's all right, I'll still be Part of her life now is criticism
:39:34. > :39:39.from some sections of the music world. As a solo singer, she has
:39:39. > :39:43.taken a role that makes her the centre of attention, but it also
:39:43. > :39:48.makes her vulnerable. Instrumentalists can hide behind
:39:48. > :39:55.their instrument. As a singer, you expose yourself. Singers do get a
:39:55. > :40:05.special name in a profession, because they are living emotions.
:40:05. > :40:09.
:40:09. > :40:12.It is a very special art, I think, Katherine's desire to bring
:40:12. > :40:16.classical music to an audience that wouldn't normally be interested by
:40:16. > :40:22.using some of the techniques of the pop world has not met with
:40:22. > :40:26.universal approval. The main thing about Katherine Jenkins is feeling
:40:26. > :40:30.very safe and accessible, when it comes to choices. If I were
:40:30. > :40:34.critical, it would be that she doesn't seem to make many risks.
:40:34. > :40:38.She has a call audience and she does not want to alienate them. She
:40:38. > :40:46.wants to reach out to as many people as possible. As a result,
:40:46. > :40:52.there can be a bland notes. -- it can be bland. A lot of people get
:40:52. > :41:02.carried away. His Katherine a true opera star or not? I don't think
:41:02. > :41:05.
:41:05. > :41:11.she should worry about that. Nobody One of the key differences between
:41:11. > :41:15.the great opera singers, Joan Sutherland, compare that to
:41:15. > :41:20.Katherine Jenkins, it is really the approach they take to their
:41:20. > :41:26.characters. Opera singing is all about characters. On stage, URL
:41:26. > :41:32.nobleman's wife, a chastened daughter, a vengeful witch. They
:41:32. > :41:35.require careful characterisation. When she sings in a stadium or
:41:35. > :41:40.arena, she is really selling Katherine Jenkins. And that is what
:41:40. > :41:45.her audience want, they want her to be herself, not somebody else.
:41:45. > :41:54.should she worry if she is deemed to be an opera star or not? She is
:41:54. > :41:57.a fine singer and she has got a lot Katherine's success also means that
:41:57. > :42:01.the press is always on the lookout for stories that suggest that fame
:42:01. > :42:07.has gone to her head and she has turned from girl-next-door into a
:42:07. > :42:11.demanding diva. We all have moments when the pressure gets to us and
:42:11. > :42:16.you suddenly stamp your feet and say, I am not having that. Have you
:42:16. > :42:21.had those moments? I am sure that I have. I think there are times when
:42:21. > :42:27.people would like you to be like that. Sometimes I feel the pressure
:42:27. > :42:32.that people want me to be that. They would love you to kick off,
:42:32. > :42:40.they would love used to throw a water bottle. And say, she is
:42:40. > :42:44.demanding? I like things done in a certain way, but I have never
:42:45. > :42:48.thrown a tantrum. I hope I have never been really disrespectful to
:42:48. > :42:53.somebody. Because my mum didn't bring me up like that. I still look
:42:53. > :42:57.at this and think, yes, I do a different job to a lot of other
:42:57. > :43:07.people. But that does not excuse bad behaviour. What has been the
:43:07. > :43:09.
:43:09. > :43:13.worst part of fame, do you think? The intrusion into things that I
:43:13. > :43:20.would deem not for everybody's knowledge. I have always wanted it
:43:20. > :43:24.to be about the music. Try to keep a line between my personal life and
:43:24. > :43:28.my music. But there are times way you just cannot avoid that. I
:43:28. > :43:33.realise I chose this, so I have to do with the consequences of my
:43:33. > :43:39.choices. But my family did not choose this and I hate it when they
:43:39. > :43:45.get dragged into my crazy world. is nice when they are nice stories.
:43:45. > :43:52.But when you get stories like that business with the drugs, it is very
:43:52. > :43:57.difficult. I don't think we will ever get used to it. Katherine has
:43:57. > :44:01.now taken her music to Europe and America. But also to places few
:44:01. > :44:05.performers go. Her trips to entertain the troops in Iraq and
:44:05. > :44:12.Afghanistan have earned her the title long-held by Dame Vera Lynn,
:44:12. > :44:20.the forces' sweetheart. I sometimes think of Katherine as a bit of a GI
:44:20. > :44:25.Jane. She has this kind of call of duty, a commitment to the armed
:44:25. > :44:31.forces in a way that is second to none. Afghanistan, Iraq. If she can
:44:31. > :44:34.get there, anyway, she tries to. The times when she is not allowed
:44:34. > :44:44.because security is so tight and circumstances have prevented it,
:44:44. > :44:54.
:44:54. > :44:58.she is fuming. She is, like, when The value of her trips is that she
:44:58. > :45:06.communicates the public's support for the sacrifices they make, and
:45:06. > :45:14.it is incredibly important to their morale. She represents home, and
:45:14. > :45:18.that does elicit a very powerful emotional response. It gives them a
:45:18. > :45:27.moment when everything stops and they can reflect, and I think that
:45:27. > :45:33.means a lot. You have taken your voice now to entertain the troops.
:45:33. > :45:38.We have taken over Dame Vera Lynn's position, how did that come about?
:45:38. > :45:43.I went to sing to the Chelsea pensioners, and they have a
:45:43. > :45:49.clubhouse there, but I found they never really had anyone going in to
:45:49. > :45:54.sing to them which seemed very odd to me. I went to saying things like
:45:54. > :46:00.White Cliffs of Dover and we will meet again, and as a result of that
:46:00. > :46:05.I got invited to sing a VE-Day concert with Dame Vera Lynn.
:46:05. > :46:10.Through talking to her, she encouraged me to think about going
:46:10. > :46:15.to somewhere like Iraq, and also the British press were starting to
:46:15. > :46:20.label me as a forces' sweetheart but I didn't feel I had earned that
:46:20. > :46:24.then. I got a call from Jim Davidson representing the British
:46:24. > :46:29.forces Foundation and he said how about going to Iraq for Christmas,
:46:29. > :46:35.and I thought that is exactly what I want to do. Unusual to think I am
:46:35. > :46:40.young, glamorous and gorgeous, and I want to go and spend Christmas
:46:40. > :46:45.with Jim Davidson in Iraq! Although Katherine's mission is to entertain
:46:45. > :46:50.the troops, she also finds her missions can have a more serious
:46:50. > :46:54.purpose. You have met soldiers who are very young and they have been
:46:54. > :47:00.able to confide in you privately in a way they perhaps couldn't with
:47:00. > :47:05.their colleagues? I remember meeting a guy who was very upset,
:47:05. > :47:09.he was missing home, he wasn't happy and I will never forget what
:47:09. > :47:15.he said to me. I hope that in talking to him a little bit about
:47:15. > :47:20.home, taking some time with him, I hope it helps because I feel like
:47:20. > :47:24.that kind of part of it is just as important as the singing. The you
:47:24. > :47:34.put yourself in danger when you were in a helicopter once and there
:47:34. > :47:37.
:47:37. > :47:47.was a missile coming at you. That must have shaken you will orbit! --
:47:47. > :47:54.shaken you'll all a bit. I remember it so clearly. We were being thrown
:47:54. > :48:00.around, ducking and diving in the helicopter. It seemed to via to the
:48:00. > :48:05.right, then down, and it took some quite dramatic moves but everybody
:48:05. > :48:10.was a lot more pale than they were afterwards than they were before.
:48:10. > :48:14.We landed, then we literally ran on to the next base and the next show
:48:14. > :48:19.and you don't really have time to think about what just happened. I
:48:19. > :48:24.came home, I was back in Neath by about 3 o'clock on Christmas Eve. I
:48:24. > :48:28.went into the pub with my sister, and I was standing there thinking I
:48:29. > :48:33.have been in a war-zone today. I couldn't forget what was happening
:48:33. > :48:38.to me, I couldn't forget when I was eating my Christmas dinner,
:48:38. > :48:43.actually that was a big thing. tell her not to tell me when she is
:48:43. > :48:47.going. Clean know she will be going before Christmas but I don't
:48:47. > :48:53.actually want to know when she is going, just tell me when you come
:48:53. > :48:58.back, then I don't have to worry about it too much. Last Christmas,
:48:58. > :49:08.on an army fled to Afghanistan, Katherine broke into an impromptu
:49:08. > :49:08.
:49:08. > :49:13.version of Silent Night. I feel like we're going for 24 hours, 48
:49:14. > :49:23.hours, and these people deal with that kind of thing for nine months
:49:24. > :49:25.
:49:25. > :49:30.sometimes. I think more than a sweet heart, she is a champion who
:49:30. > :49:35.genuinely cares about them, their plight and their circumstances.
:49:35. > :49:39.is interesting, looking at the career you have chosen, a lot of
:49:39. > :49:44.classical singers would not be putting themselves in danger, would
:49:45. > :49:49.not sit and openly discussed God, would be more concerned about an
:49:49. > :49:53.image that is classical and sedate and rather more proper. Has anybody
:49:53. > :50:02.suggested to you that you should not talk about your faith, or
:50:02. > :50:09.wanting to go into war zones? think it is just really important
:50:09. > :50:14.to be yourself. I feel like sometimes people have a perception
:50:14. > :50:19.of the classical artist, as you said, and ditties sort of being
:50:19. > :50:26.very serious, never made a mistake, and I have felt the pressure from
:50:26. > :50:30.that. I want to show people, as part of the message the classical
:50:30. > :50:34.music is for everyone, that I am just like everybody else as well. I
:50:34. > :50:39.like doing everything that everybody else does. The future
:50:39. > :50:46.will bring many changes to her life. In February, she announced she was
:50:46. > :50:50.engaged to the television presenter Gethin Jones. They had met four
:50:50. > :50:56.years before on this set of Strictly Come Dancing. He was
:50:56. > :51:05.competing and she was singing. is engaged to Gethin Jones now, I
:51:05. > :51:09.know him very well, are playing looking lad. Not that I am jealous
:51:09. > :51:19.in the slightest, but I bet there are a lot of middle-aged men who
:51:19. > :51:27.would like to swap places. Sad, isn't it?! I imagine there are a
:51:27. > :51:33.lot of troops, a lot of men who are gutted she is engaged. The lovely
:51:33. > :51:38.thing for me personally, seen them getting together, is I can see
:51:38. > :51:42.exactly why. They are perfect for each other. They both have a sense
:51:42. > :51:49.of enjoyment of life, they both want the same things, they both
:51:49. > :51:55.love this feeling of a home life and home sweet home. Seeing the two
:51:55. > :51:59.of them together, it just makes you sick really. They're both gorgeous.
:52:00. > :52:04.Look at you two. They are just little more birds sitting on the
:52:04. > :52:11.sofa together. We should wrap them up in chocolate and sell them on
:52:12. > :52:18.the street! Let's not forget, it has virtually blinded me in the
:52:18. > :52:24.last hour or so, a gorgeous sparkler on your hand. He has done
:52:24. > :52:29.very well, hasn't he? What makes Gethin Jones Mr Right? He is just a
:52:29. > :52:35.really good guy. As people see him on the television, that is just how
:52:35. > :52:42.he is, for me with a good heart and kind. Does he share your faith?
:52:42. > :52:47.he does actually. I think when you both come from a similar place, you
:52:47. > :52:54.have the same kind of core beliefs. She shared experiences. Exactly,
:52:54. > :53:01.yes. I know you probably haven't had time to set a date, but
:53:01. > :53:06.presumably the service will be full of music. I would imagine. You know,
:53:06. > :53:13.I think it will be all about music. I know I won't be singing myself.
:53:13. > :53:18.Everybody keeps asking me about that. It will be a day off. But yes,
:53:18. > :53:24.I want it to be emotional and music is such an important part of that
:53:24. > :53:31.for me. When you are finally married, how will you combine the
:53:31. > :53:37.horror, the juggle of being a wife, possibly being a mum, and being an
:53:37. > :53:43.international superstar? I think that, please God, I have children
:53:43. > :53:48.that I will at some point slow down on the touring a little bit. I feel
:53:48. > :53:52.like to be a mother is a real gift and I want to enjoy that. The
:53:52. > :53:58.craziness of my life right now would not allow that, so maybe to
:53:58. > :54:02.wait a little bit, and take a step back and enjoy being a mum for a
:54:02. > :54:08.while. Not give up singing completely, but just enough to take
:54:08. > :54:16.time and enjoy it. The Jenkins family motto is to go forward
:54:16. > :54:20.cautiously, which is a brilliant one. Where did that come from?
:54:21. > :54:25.are strong people, they think about what they will do, they are thought
:54:25. > :54:31.full but they do things with a lot of fun. My family know how to enjoy
:54:31. > :54:41.themselves, know how to enjoy life, know what is important. They are a
:54:41. > :54:51.
:54:51. > :54:56.Yes, she is Katherine Jenkins the star, she is adored by millions,
:54:56. > :55:05.she has a fantastic talent, but in all the years I have known her she
:55:05. > :55:10.has remained a decent girl. I don't think that being famous has changed
:55:10. > :55:17.Katherine. She has managed to stay very grounded and it is the same
:55:17. > :55:20.person I knew 10 years ago, which is testament to her personality.
:55:20. > :55:24.Katherine's career I think will literally go on forever. She is one
:55:24. > :55:29.of these people who has the ability to do that, to keep recreating
:55:29. > :55:35.herself, because she has a true passion for music. She will use her
:55:35. > :55:45.instrument, her voice, as much as she can and it will always keep up-
:55:45. > :55:51.
:55:51. > :55:56.to-date so I think she will be I feel really lucky that I have
:55:57. > :56:02.been able to do what I have done so far and I don't really want to ask
:56:02. > :56:06.for any more, so if I can carry on singing and carry on touring and
:56:06. > :56:11.people still want to listen to me singing, I will be happy with that.
:56:11. > :56:17.What will you be doing for Christmas? I will be back in Wales.
:56:17. > :56:22.I always go home to Wales for Christmas. That, for me, it is the
:56:22. > :56:28.guaranteed time with the family. Just to be back, going to Midnight
:56:28. > :56:37.Mass with my mum, going to my anti- 's house on Christmas night and
:56:37. > :56:45.playing trivial pursuit, I would not change that for the world.
:56:45. > :56:50.does Christmas mean to you? Family. Just quality time. That is all I
:56:50. > :56:56.look for in Christmas. Just knowing I have got the time to feel no
:56:56. > :57:04.pressure, just to, you know, just chill with the family, eat, laugh,
:57:04. > :57:09.just enjoy it. Katherine, thank you. And happy Christmas. Happy
:57:10. > :57:13.Christmas. Thank you for having me. Over the years, I have met
:57:14. > :57:18.Katherine several times and she has never changed, despite her enormous
:57:18. > :57:23.success. I think that old phrase hard work brings good things was
:57:23. > :57:29.made for her. She has worked very hard, she has kept her feet on the
:57:29. > :57:35.ground, she has worked hard at her career, her appearance, her family,
:57:35. > :57:39.her faith, and I think everything about her is truly sincere. I hope
:57:39. > :57:43.that in the future she is very happy. Next week I am meeting
:57:43. > :57:48.Russell Watson, a remarkable singing talent who emerged from
:57:48. > :57:56.pubs and clubs to become an international star. He has faced
:57:56. > :58:01.the death twice through brain tumours, and and experience that