Charlotte Church says she’s no longer a millionaire despite once being worth £25,000,000-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Charlotte Church opened up about her loss of finances (Picture: Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns)

Charlotte Church has spoken candidly about her dwindling finances after being forced to downsize from a lavish mansion to a modest home.

The pop star first rose to fame in 1997 aged 11 after appearing on This Morning to perform Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu to him down the phone.

Her overnight success catapulted her into the public eye and by 2003 the child prodigy was reported to have accumulated a net worth of £25,000,000.

In 2010 the Welsh singer, now 38, used her fortune to buy The Spinney for a reported £1.5million, a six-bedroom rural mansion based near Cardiff.

In August last year, the mum-of-three put The Spinney up on the market where it eventually sold for around £2m as she downsized to a smaller house.

She explained the reason behind the decision in a new interview with Closer, saying she is ‘not a millionaire anymore’.

Church shied away from the limelight at an early age (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Church was a singing child prodigy (Picture: Getty Images)

‘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,’ she told the publication.

‘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.’

Her choice to sell was fuelled by feeling like her ‘fairy-tale-like’ life was turning into ‘this dark and twisted fairy tale’.

Later in the interview, Church admitted that she knew from as young as 14 that she didn’t want to stay in the showbiz world but was pressured by her father to pursue the career.

‘When I made money, I did say to my dad when I was 14, “I am not sure about this showbiz stuff. I am really not having a good time” and he was like, “Just stick at it as we don’t get these opportunities”.’

What has Charlotte Church previously said about her money troubles?

Church has also invested in Laura Ashley’s former home Rhydolgog House which she renamed The Dreaming.

This was converted into a wellness retreat for women at a major cost as documented in her 2022 reality show, Dream Build, where she confessed she had blown ‘pretty much all my life savings’.

As far back as 2014 she told BBC One that she was not as rich as everyone was led to believe.

‘I will have to work for the rest of my life. Not because I want to but because I have to,’ she said at the time. ‘I always understood that all that stuff isn’t important and my career was not the be and end all.’

How Charlotte Church’s career has developed over the years?

After the Cardiff-born singer’s career launched on This Morning, Church released her debut classical album in 1998, titled Voice of an Angel followed by her self-titled sophomore album in 1999.

Church has been able to mingle with some of music’s brightest stars such as Usher (l) and Mandy Moore (r) (Picture: WireImage)

As her success grew she appeared on reality shows such as ITV’s Big, Big Talent Show and landed a contract with Sony Records. Over the years Church has performed for the likes of Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II and President Bill Clinton and sold over 10m records.

In the mid-2000’s she pivoted to pop music where she also found huge success and amassed a loyal fanbase. Her 2005 singles Crazy Chick and Call My Name, from her fifth studio album Tissues and Issues, shot to the top of the UK charts.

During this time she hosted The Charlotte Church Show (2006-2008) and released two memoirs.

By the early 2010s, Church started to take a step back from the music industry spotlight, releasing her last album, Back To Scratch (2010) and EPs, One, Two, Three and Four.

Speaking about her reluctance to pursue a showbiz career, Church told the Guardian in 2022 that the worst job she has ever done was ‘being a major-label artist’. ‘I felt like a commodity, a thing to be sold,’ she said at the time.

Church seen at the peak of her pop career (Picture: PA)

Since then, she has turned her focus to more nature-based pursuits including her Welsh countryside educational charity The Awen Project, established in 2019.

In November 2023, permission was revoked for The Awen Project to operate in Cwm George and Case Hill Wood in Dinas Powys in South Wales due to concerns for the safety of wildlife and visitors.

Meanwhile, Church recently launched a new podcast on BBC Sounds called Keeping up with the Cardiffians where she has ‘funny and frank conversations’ about working up working class in Wales.

She also remains an outspoken activist, championing trans rights and appearing at pro-Palestine marches – a move she was forced to defend in recent weeks.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More