Charlotte Church biography and Charlotte Church photos

Charlotte Church


Charlotte Church wallpaper


Charlotte Church wallpaper

Charlotte Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21, 1986) is a Welsh singer and television presenter who rose to international fame in childhood as a popular classical crossover singer. Since 2005, she has branched out into pop music.
Early life

Church was born in Llandaf, a district of Cardiff, Wales. She was raised a Roman Catholic by her mother, Maria, who was separated from Church's biological father. Church was legally adopted by her mother's second husband, James Church in 1998. 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 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. She also received a vocal scholarship to Howell's Girls School in Cardiff where she started in 1998. She balanced performing and school with help from tutors for when she was on the road and said in many interviews that she was "just like every other girl her age".

Acting and television career



Charlotte Church face

Church has made a number of cameo appearances on television. She appeared in the CBS series Touched by an Angel, starred in the 1999 Christmas special of Heartbeat, and in 2003 she presented an episode of Have I Got News For You. In 2005 she played herself in an episode of The Catherine Tate Show, in a sketch with the fictional character Joannie Taylor.

She made her silver screen debut in 2003s 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 cinemas and being released directly to video in the US.

The Charlotte Church Show


Charlotte Church photo

In the summer of 2006, Church began work on her own entertainment TV show, The Charlotte Church Show. After a pilot episode which caused some controversy and which was never released to the public, the series began on 1 September 2006, on Channel 4.

The show, hosted by Charlotte and featuring two celebrity guests each week, involves a mixture of sketches, reality TV, interviews and music, as well as a recurring Welsh theme (the first show included a Wales vs. the World competition and a Welsh remake of Will & Grace). Denise van Outen, Michael McIntyre, Ruby Wax, Billie Piper, and Patsy Kensit were amongst the first celebrities to appear on the series.

The show has averaged 1.9 million viewers and 10% of the available audience, and on 6 October 2006, it was announced that Channel 4 had commissioned a further two series of the show. However, the show's ratings have yet to seriously compete with the well-established Friday Night with Jonathan Ross which is broadcast on BBC One in the same timeslot. According to her official website, the final series has now been deferred until after Church gives birth.

Church won a British Comedy Award for "Best Female Comedy Newcomer" in 2006, and the 'Funniest TV Personality' award at the 2006 Loaded Magazine's 'LAFTA' awards.

Personal life


Charlotte Church no cigarette

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

Church released an autobiography titled Voice of an Angel (My Life So Far), at the age of 14 (before the release of "Enchantment" and just after she had wrapped up her "Dream a Dream" Christmas CD). Her eventual change of music direction is foreshadowed in the final chapter, entitled "Turning Corners."

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 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, leading to a slap from Church.

Other aspects of her personal life have been criticized 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 and Issues, in the song "Confessional Song"). She has also been criticized for what the press have seen as excessive partying, with photos of the singer drunk or misbehaving adorning tabloid newspapers - including one in which she gave the photographer the finger. In recent interviews, Church has stated that she has stopped smoking and that her behaviour is now much more low-key.

The press has recently devoted much attention to Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International Rugby Union player: they have reportedly bought a manor in Glamorgan. At the end of 2005, she purchased a property in her native Llandaff, Cardiff, for a reported £500,000, although Henson has said that he is not part owner of the property. The couple have mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows and in the press, but put off any talk of marriage whilst Church was expecting.

On Thursday, 20 September 2007 at 10:35 pm Church gave birth to a baby girl named Ruby Megan Henson.

The couple have been nicknamed the "Welsh Victoria and David Beckham". In 2007, Church made another appearance on a British young people's rich list with Henson. They were ranked as the 49th richest young people in Britain with an estimated joint wealth of £10 million.

Philanthropic efforts

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

She has also been a long time and very visible supporter of the Noah's Ark Appeal to build a children's hospital in Wales.

Controversy



Charlotte Church

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 Church's mother; although allegations were later made by the Church family of "inappropriate tactile conduct" on the part of Shalit, nothing ever came of them. Shalit subsequently sued for breach of contract and received an out-of-court settlement believed to be worth £ 2 million (although the exact details were never released, as one of the parties to the matter was a minor and such details are protected under UK law).

Church has provoked controversy on some occasions with her 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, saying New Yorkers were being overdramatic, drew some criticism.

The pilot episode of Church's new show, The Charlotte Church Show, provoked a backlash from some religious groups, as Church reportedly mocks the Roman Catholic Church and makes some controversial comments about Pope Benedict XVI, calling him a "Nazi" in reference to his time in the Hitler Youth and German Army, where he served 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.

In her video blog entry for 22 March 2007, Church referred to the UK's Eurovision entry, Scooch, as "absolute shit" and went on to say "I've never seen shit like it, because Scooch really are shit". Russ Spencer of Scooch hit back saying "what a pity the voice of an angel has acquired the mouth of a sewer". Spencer's fellow bandmember Natalie Powers added "As a mother of a young child myself I find her behaviour and language quite unacceptable. What kind of role model is this for a mum-to-be?" Church hit back by saying on her Channel 4 show "They called me attention seeking... then what's doing the Eurovision dressed as air hostesses?"

She has claimed that she would be a better judge for the reality show X-Factor than any of the judges on the show. She becomes "annoyed" when their remarks are inaccurate, stating "they just do not know the ins and outs of a voice or music"

biography reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/