You'd be forgiven for thinking that Katherine Jenkins, as the UK's best-selling classical musician, has always been crystal clear about her path in life. So it comes as a surprise when the mezzo-soprano, 45, tells HELLO! that she feels as though she has only recently come into her own. "In my forties, I've found I have a stronger sense of self than ever before," she tells us in this exclusive interview. "I have total clarity now. I know very clearly what I want to do and what I don't want to do."
Although that won't include appearing in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (Katherine says she is invited to take part in the reality show every year), the Welsh singer has made her first foray into the business world with Cygnet, her luxury drinks brand, which launched in 2023 and featured at this month’s Golden Globes ceremony.
"A proud moment" is how she describes the night, when Kylie Jenner and Jennifer Lawrence were pictured enjoying martinis made with Cygnet gin.
© CBS via Getty ImagesBalancing a fledgling business with her global singing career – plus family life with her husband and their two children, Aaliyah, ten, and Xander, seven – isn't always easy. But Katherine, who has been married to the American film producer Andrew Levitas since 2014, says that she has found a way to cope.
"There's definitely a push and pull of navigating family life and my career and wanting to keep everybody happy," she says. "We're all juggling a million balls, but for me, it's non-negotiable to set aside time for fitness and health.
© Penske Media via Getty Images"If I don't book out that time for myself and stick to it, every other aspect of my life will feel the effect. For me to be the best version of myself, I need an hour in the morning to focus on fitness."
It’s also essential to make time for her friends, who include the TV presenter Alex Jones and the facialist Sarah Chapman. "Friendships are really important," she says. "I don't want to battle through life just trying to get it done.
© Instagram“We need to make making time for our friends a priority, and my relationships with the women in my life are things that keep me sane."
Katherine has gone global in more ways than one. After she met Andrew on a blind date in 2013, the couple made a home in New York, and now live both there and in Chiswick, west London. "We get the best of both worlds," she says.
Although it's been eight years since her family began splitting their time between the US and the UK, Katherine's ties to Britain are still strong. She admits that meeting other expats in the US – including James Corden, before he moved back to the UK – has been a highlight of her time there. "That's what surprises me; there's such a sense of community and connectivity with other Brits abroad," she says. "Especially the Welsh – we all make sure we get together.”
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesRoyal connections
She remains a staunch royalist, too. A trustee of the British Forces Foundation, which counts the King as its patron, she is also a long-time supporter of the King's Trust charity.
"We've met several times, so it was really lovely to receive my OBE [in 2014] from him, because we felt comfortable," Katherine says of her relationship with the monarch. "We have things to talk about, which is nice."
© Getty ImagesIn November, she participated in the Royal Variety Performance for the fifth time since her first appearance in 2005, meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales. "It was a huge honour," Katherine recalls. "I think they're both so amazing and it's always nice to sing for them."
Despite the glittering line-up at the event, where stars including Sir Stephen Fry and Jessie J performed for the royals, the singer reveals that an unlikely guest stole the limelight.
"It was a huge honour. I think the Prince and Princess of Wales are both so amazing and it's always nice to sing for them."
"Paddington was the star of the show," she tells us. The famous bear, who posed for a photo with William and Kate, was the most in-demand celebrity on the night, Katherine says.
"I was desperate to get a selfie with him to show my children, but he was ushered away under a cloak and all the celebrities queuing up weren't given a chance to pose with him."
© Getty ImagesNew beginnings
Katherine first had the idea of creating a drinks brand during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, and she recently launched a non-alcoholic version of her Cygnet gin.
The drink came from a “personal, selfish need for a drink I could have when my family were drinking gin and tonic, which is too harsh for my voice", she explains, adding that she is "very mindful" about what she eats and drinks.
To create a liquid gentle enough for her vocal cords, Katherine added 22 botanicals, as well as manuka honey, which she always uses to protect her voice. "It makes the gin way less harsh, and the result is that you can sip it without the need for mixers," she says.
The new 0% gin, which is named Infinity and also contains two brain-supporting adaptogens, lion's mane and schisandra berry, was inspired by Katherine's response to “watered-down" non-alcoholic drinks.
"It doesn't feel as though you're experiencing 'less than' when you drink Cygnet Infinity rather than alcohol – it's every bit as luxurious," she says.
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