Charlotte Church Biography

Charlotte Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21, 1986) is a Welsh pop singer who rose to international fame in childhood as a popular classical singer. To this date, she has sold 10 million albums worldwide.

Church was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, the capital of Wales. She was raised Catholic by her mother, Maria, separated from her natural father. She was legally adopted by her mother's second husband, James Church. She had her first taste of stardom when she performed "Ghostbusters" at a holiday camp in Caernarfon at the age of 3, and had to be dragged from the stage when she refused to leave. Her big break came at the age of 11 when she sang "Pie Jesu" on the television show Talking Telephone Numbers in 1997, closely followed by her show-stealing performance on ITV's Big, Big Talent Show in 1998. This led to concerts at Cardiff Arms Park, Royal Albert Hall and the opening spot for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp.

Church has made a number of cameo appearances on the television; she appeared on the CBS series Touched by an Angel, starred in the 1999 Christmas special of Heartbeat; and in 2003 presented an episode of Have I Got News For You.

She made her silver screen debut in 2003's I'll Be There, co-starring and directed by Craig Ferguson. Church played the role of "Olivia," the daughter of a washed-up 80s rocker from a one-night-stand played by Ferguson. The film did not meet with widespread success, playing for only ten days in UK theaters and being released directly to video in the US. Miss Church's own acting effort in the film met with mixed reviews, though in fairness to her, the film's lightweight writing and poor pacing appear to be the major reasons for its relative lack of success.

Church's personal life has often been portrayed in the sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK, rather more frequently than her career (inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album Tissues and Issues).

Revisited with particular frequency is her love life. In 2002, aged 16, she moved out of the family home to live with her boyfriend, Steven Johnson (inspiring the song "Casualty of Love", also from Tissues and Issues); the couple later split at the end of 2003. The tabloid press documented her subsequent relationship with Kyle Johnson (no relation), which ended in February 2005. The couple stated at the time that they remained friends, though shortly afterwards Johnson revealed graphic details about the couple's sex life to the press. The press has recently devoted much attention to Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International Rugby player: at the end of 2005, they purchased a property in her native Llandaff, Cardiff for a reported £500,000; both celebrities have since mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows and in the press.

Other aspects of her personal life have been criticised in the press. In 2002, she was photographed smoking, and it gradually emerged that she had developed a smoking habit (another fact alluded to on her album Tissues for Issues, in the song "Confessional Song"). She has also been criticised for what the press have seen as excessive partying, with plenty of photos of the singer drunk adorning tabloid newspapers. In more recent interviews, Church has stated that she has now stopped smoking and that her behaviour is now much more low-key.

Church has lent her support to design limited edition T-shirts or vests for the 'Little Tee Campaign' for Breast Cancer Care which donates money for breast cancer research.

Controversy surrounds the circumstances of the dismissal of Church's first manager, Jonathan Shalit. He was allegedly discharged from her representation in a letter faxed by Charlotte's mother; although allegations were later made by the Church family of "inappropriate tactile conduct" on the part of Mr. Shalit, nothing ever came of them. He subsequently sued for breach of contract and received an out-of-court settlement believed to be worth 2 million pounds sterling (although the exact details were never released, as one of the parties to the matter was a minor and such details were protected under UK law).

Church has provoked controversy on some occasions with comments and criticisms (in an interview with Davina McCall, Charlotte agreed that being diplomatic was "not in [her] nature"). Her remarks on the September 11, 2001 attacks drew some criticism . More recently, the Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, reported that the pilot episode of Church's new show, The Charlotte Church Show, provoked a backlash from some religious groups, as Church reportedly mocks the Catholic Church and makes some controversial comments about Pope Benedict XVI, calling him a "Nazi" in reference to his compulsory time in the Hitler Youth and German Army, where he served briefly on an anti-aircraft battery. One large Roman Catholic distributor of books, CDs and other goods, Ignatius Press, is reported to have pulled Church's products from its catalogue.