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Katherine
Jenkins speaks
her mind
Opera singer Katherine Jenkins, 29,
talks about her past drug use and
recovering from the death of her father
You’ve had five No 1 albums in the
classical charts. What motivates you?
I want to make my family proud,
especially my dad [Katherine’s father
died of lung cancer when she was 15].
I miss him every day. Plus, I love what
I do and love that my voice is heard
all over the world by so many people.
That constantly drives me.
You had therapy to deal with your
dad’s death – was it helpful?
Yes. I’d advise anyone to try therapy
if they’re going through bereavement.
It helps to have an outside opinion.
I’m very close to my family but couldn’t
always say what I wanted to them.
Therapy helped with that. Anything
you do that encourages you to take
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a look at your life is only going to make
you a more grounded person.
What’s your biggest weakness?
I’m a perfectionist and tend to think
about my work too much, but it’s
because I want everything to be right.
I’m a real softie deep down. I’d love to
be thicker skinned, I’m prone to tears!
You’ve spoken in the past about
struggling with the public’s perception
of you. What did you mean?
I think people perceive me to be whiter
Do you care too much about what others think?
Rate each statement from 1-6 (6 is strongest) depending how strongly you agree
6
5
4
3
2
1
I often seek
reassurance
from my boss
or colleagues
about my work.
I need my
partner to
constantly
tell me he
loves me.
I often look
to others to
point out my
strengths and
weaknesses.
I often seek
reassurance
from friends
about my
appearance.
I rarely trust
my own
instincts when
making a
decision.
If someone
says something
negative about
me I fixate on
it for weeks.
THE SHOE-LOVING OPERA
SINGER SAYS SHE’S JUST LIKE ANY
OTHER 20-SOMETHING WOMAN
than white. They think I’m quite saintly,
probably because of the music I sing.
To my friends, I’m a normal 29-year-old
who happens to sing classical music. I’d
like people to know that I’m human and
I make mistakes, but over the last year
people have got to know that.
Are you referring to the revelation
that you took class-A drugs when you
were a student? Was that an attempt
to shake off your angelic image?
It definitely wasn’t a publicity stunt.
I was asked if I’d taken drugs by a
MOSTLY ORANGE
You don’t value your own
opinion highly enough and
your confidence is dependent
on others’ approval. Think
about the worst that could
happen if you trusted your
own instincts and work back
from this. If you always let
others buffer your choices
you’ll never reap the value of
learning from your mistakes.
MOSTLY PEACH
You have good selfperception.
Look at the areas
where you seek approval and
journalist and I wanted to be honest,
but in doing so I got a stro strong reaction.
A lot of people who thought thou I wasn’t
like that suddenly turned
on me.
I would never advocate ddrugs and
I do regret taking them. SSome good
did come out of it, though – it’s allowed
people to have a more rounded ro view
of me and see that I’m someone so who
makes mistakes just like eeveryone else.
Do you think being classed as a sex
symbol has helped your career?
Core classical critics won’t necessarily
look as favourably on that sort of
image so it goes both ways. I’m getting
more confident and comfortable in my
skin as I get older, but still have days
where I think I need a lot of help from
the make-up bag. I’ve accepted that my
figure is curvy and no longer go on fad
diets like I did when I was younger.
What’s your biggest indulgence?
I adore shoes. I have around 100 pairs!
I love Alexander McQueen and I’ve got
a pair of diamond-encrusted Christian
Louboutins that cost around £1,000,
although luckily I didn’t pay for them.
Harrods kindly gave them to me as
a gift when I opened their sale.
You’ve been with your boyfriend
Gethin Jones for two years. What’s
the secret to a strong relationship?
It’s important to speak your mind
and be open and honest about your
feelings. If you have a best friend
as a boyfriend, you’re in luck.
Katherine’s new album Believe is out 26 Oct,
Warner Bros Records, kj.tv
MEET OUR
THERAPIST
Lisa Merrick-
Lawless is an
NLP coach with
Headspace (the
headspace.co.uk)
ask yourself why. Ban yourself
from asking for approval for
a week. You’ll develop a
stronger sense of self in this
area as a result.
MOSTLY WHITE
While it’s great you don’t seek
reassurance, it’s not healthy
to be totally unaware of
what others think, as relying
singularly on your own opinion
can help you develop a jaded
perception of yourself.
Constructive observation
from others can be a valuable
learning opportunity.
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