Why she gave away her fortune to run a wellness centre

Celebrity Traitors has well and truly begun, and between the Alan Carr memes and Nick Mohammed’s clever strategy during the challenges, we are already hooked. Another celebrity on the show who has caught our attention after watching the first episode is Charlotte Church.

The Welsh singer wasted no time getting stuck in to the first mini challenge, which saw The Celebrity Traitors cast having to dig their own graves in a bid to find a shield to save them from the first murder. Despite wearing a white dress, Church got on her knees and started digging with her bare hands. She was successful in finding a shield, but had to later give it up after Clare Balding messed up in the challenge.

Viewers will recognise Church as a classical child star turned pop singer, but her life now looks very different from her chart-topping heyday, with the star recently revealing she gave away her entire fortune.

Here’s everything you need to know about her.

Who is Charlotte Church?

BBC

Charlotte Church is a singer-songwriter, actress and presenter. She rose to fame at just 11 years old after singing ‘Pie Jesu’ over the phone on ITV’s This Morning. Her powerful voice quickly gained attention, leading to more TV appearances and a record deal with Sony Music. Her debut album Voice of an Angel (1998) became a massive success, making her the youngest artist to reach No. 1 on the British classical charts. She went on to release several classical crossover albums, performing in multiple languages and gaining international fame, including a role in the film A Beautiful Mind, where she sang parts of the score.

By her mid-teens, Charlotte began to move away from classical music and towards pop. In 2003, she appeared on the UK charts with the dance track ‘The Opera Song,’ and in 2005, she released her first pop album Tissues and Issues. The album produced several UK hits like ‘Crazy Chick’ and ‘Call My Name’.

She’s since left music behind and it’s been 15 years since she released a studio album.

How old is Charlotte Church?

Charlotte Church is 39-years-old.

Born on 21st February, 1986, she is a Pisces. The sign is known for being “empathetic, mystical, pleasure-seeking, romantic, imaginative and impressionable” according to Cosmo’s Horoscopes writer, Kerry Ward.

Why did Charlotte Church give away all her money?

The 39-year-old recently revealed that she gave away all her money, explaining: “I’m still close to my roots, although I’m in a different socio-economic category and I’ve basically given all my money away.”

She continued to Big Issue: “It’s complicated having money, it changes the playing field. What I feel most privileged about are the experiences I’ve had, with lots of echelons of society. From the tippy top with extraordinarily wealthy and powerful people all the way to living down the docks around people living with drug addiction.”

Charlotte previously revealed that she’s “no longer” a millionaire after blowing her £24 million fortune and downsizing from her £1.5million mansion, The Spinney, to a semi-detached home.

“I am not a millionaire anymore,” she told Closer Magazine. “What mattered to me when I bought The Spinney is it was absolutely beautiful and close to the forest and it was a big mansion house.

“We had a school there for a bit and a studio. When it is used by the community, it makes sense, but when it is not used, it doesn’t. We want to be in the mainframe and be involved in life and what it feels like.”

What does Charlotte Church do for work now?

Church now runs a wellness sanctuary in the countryside called The Dreaming, where guests pay over £1200 for a four-day stay. There is also an option to “pay what you can” for people on lower incomes, as well as day passes from £150.

Is Charlotte Church on Instagram?

She is.

You can follow her at therealcharlottechurch where she currently has 213k followers.

On her page, she shares lots of her work at The Dreaming and the services they offer, including sound healing, nature crafting workshops, meditation sessions, and more.

Is Charlotte Church married?

Yes, Charlotte Church is married. She tied the knot with musician Jonathan Powell, and the couple share a daughter named Frida, born in 2020. They live together in Wales.

Before her marriage, Charlotte was in a long-term relationship with former rugby player Gavin Henson. The pair had two children – Ruby, born in 2007, and Dexter, born in 2009 – and were briefly engaged in 2010 before amicably splitting later that year. Charlotte and Gavin continue to co-parent their two children.

Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm.