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Wales Online
Lifestyle
Stephanie Colderick

Kate Garraway's Life Stories: Charlotte Church wells up as she opens up about rift with her mother

Famous Welsh singer Charlotte Church is appearing on Kate Garraway's Life Stories on Thursday, February 16, to discuss everything from shooting to fame aged just 11 to the highs and lows this brought.

In the new series hosted by presenter Kate Garraway, instead of the previous host Piers Morgan, Charlotte, and her mum Maria Church became emotional while talking about Charlotte's move away from the family.

You can read more TV news here.

At the age of 16, Charlotte moved out of the family home after four years of fame since being spotted on This Morning and the Big, Big Talent Show.

Four years of performing across the world, producing albums, and being in the spotlight took a toll on Charlotte and her relationship with her mother as she wanted to break free from her young and innocent image.

Wanting to be a normal teenager and have time apart from her family, as her mum accompanied her throughout her career, Charlotte moved out aged 16.

Maria, in a clip shown to Charlotte, said: "It was like a pressure cooker, she felt like she'd been so pent up for years and years and years, she just wanted to explode."

Charlotte moving out had a massive emotional effect on Maria, she said: "I felt lost, I felt isolated, I think I just totally shut down, I just literally sat on the floor and cried and I had a nervous breakdown. For months and months and months I couldn't get out of bed."

After seeing the clip, a visibly emotional Charlotte turned to her mum, who was in the audience and also very emotional, and said: "Oh mummy, oh sweetheart!".

Explaining the distance she put between her and mum and herself, Charlotte said: "As far as I am concerned, I needed to be free...I felt I had to be this other eternally young, innocent little girl...I just had to cut the ties."

Charlotte explained that now she "totally understands" what her parents went through and although she didn't feel guilty as she didn't believe in guilt as an emotion, she felt sorry for the devastating effect it had on her mum.

She also said she was "so proud" of her mum, adding: "I think that she is fire and like a phoenix, she has risen from the flames."

A still very emotional Maria from the audience replied: "I love you. I love her, I'm so proud of her, we've been through so much...I love her to bits, I love her billions and billions."

Charlotte will appear on Kate Garraway's Life Stories on Thursday, February, 17 on ITV at 9pm.

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