Kate Garraway’s Life Stories: Charlotte Church, review: more casual chat than hard-hitting interview
She might have the voice of an angel but Charlotte Church has the spirit of a warrior queen. On Kate Garraway’s Life Stories (ITV), the Welsh soprano was charismatic, courageous and winningly unconventional. If only this interview had been half as interesting as its subject.
Too much airtime was wasted going over old ground. Too much heavy lifting was done by VT packages. A pop quiz segment might have showcased Church’s photographic memory for lyrics but it felt like something off Loose Women, rather than a primetime interview. This was more coffee-morning chat than probing profile.
A shame, since Church’s life is rather fascinating. Her raw vocal talent catapulted her to global fame aged 12. She did her homework on private jets and sat her GCSEs in the White House. Religious Americans believed she truly had a divine gift. One avid fan was convinced that her singing has cured his cancer. “Fair enough, babes,” chuckled Church now.
Now 35, she spoke thoughtfully about growing up in the spotlight and how her chaotic upbringing by single mother Maria, who later became her “momager”, led to their volatile relationship. Maria sat tearfully in the studio audience alongside Charlotte’s devoted stepfather James, the man she calls “dadda”, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2019.
Church also talked movingly about her “uniquely painful” miscarriage at 17 weeks. “There was beauty in it,” she said, “to witness the bookends of life and death in one moment.”
Unpredictable and public-spirited, she now uses her platform to speak out about issues from climate change to austerity, and has set up her own school and eco-retreat.
Frank and funny with an eventful life, Church was ready to let rip. However, this softball interview was low on revelations. Transmission was delayed by a fortnight due to her stint in ITV stablemate The Masked Singer (she came second and was robbed). This wasn’t even mentioned. Church said in the introduction that she was “looking forward to the biggest chinwag ever”. Sadly that’s all it was. An opportunity missed.
