Quiet life beckons for Church
The lack of a rowdy celebration for Charlotte Church’s 21st birthday last week was enough to get the rumour mills turning that she was pregnant with her first child.
Church eschewed hitting the clubs on the milestone, choosing instead to spend a night quietly at her home in Cardiff with her family and boyfriend, Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson.
It was an extraordinary move for the UK’s favourite fallen angel, who is known to love a good party, and today it was confirmed she is indeed pregnant.
In less than a decade, she has turned from sweet schoolgirl singing sensation to hard-drinking disco diva and foul-mouthed chat show presenter.
Now, the transformation has moved on to another level with one of Britain’s most famous child stars herself on the verge of motherhood.
Church and rugby star Henson, 25, have been a couple for two years, with the singer describing him as “the one” and talking about marriage.
Her very-public adolescence, complete with boyfriend troubles, alcopops and cigarettes, are a distant memory since she became “loved up” with the slick rugby ace.
After years of being a permanent fixture in the gossip pages, at 21, the Cardiff lass is extolling the joys of the quieter side of life in a stable relationship.
The one-time Voice Of An Angel, who now lives with Henson in the Llandaff area of the city, has even described herself as a “housewife” and says she has finally quit the fags
The couple first met after a night out in November 2004 when Church was still dating former beau Kyle Johnson.
When they split up, she texted Gavin to congratulate him after a match and their relationship blossomed from there. They eventually confirmed they were an item in March 2005.
Both have since spoken of marriage to the press, with Henson saying in an interview last year: “She’d love to (get married)…I hope she’ll ask me, but I suppose I’d better do it. We’d love a family together.”
They are now on their way to doing just that, but impending motherhood for Church comes after a far-from-normal childhood.
The angelic-looking soprano first found international fame as a pre-teenager when her debut album Voice Of An Angel was released and went platinum.
With a voice to match the angelic surname, Church stormed the music world, selling more than 10 million records and earning a multi-million-pound fortune by the time she was 18.
She performed in front of world leaders and royalty, and became the youngest artist ever to have a number-one album in the UK classical charts.
It was her other talents that were soon attracting attention, and at 16 she was voted Rear Of The Year. “I do love my bum,” she declared.
The singer was soon pictured smoking, and her tumultuous relationship with DJ Steven Johnson kept tongues wagging.
Changes were also afoot in her professional life and she soon moved away from the classical style that made her famous to make her first forays into the world of pop.
Two years ago she released the single Crazy Chick from her first pop album Tissues And Issues, which went on to sell almost half a million copies.
Her singing career is now on hold as she continues to try her hand at chat-show presenting, which taps into her talent for plain speaking.
The Channel 4 programme received mixed reviews and lost out in the initial ratings battle with BBC veteran Jonathan Ross but has since been recommissioned and re-started last month.
