Katherine jenkins husband

1. Early Life and Education
2. Musical Career
3. Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Catherine Jenkins, a Welsh classical crossover singer, was born on June 29, 1980, in Neath, Wales. Raised by her mother, Susan, and father, Selvino John, alongside her sister Laura, Jenkins has two half-sisters from her father's previous marriage, although she has never met them.

Jenkins attended Neath Welsh Comprehensive School and later Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School. She studied piano and singing under Mark Rozman, achieving 'O' Level excellence in both subjects. From 1990 to 1996, she was a chorister at the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers, winning the prestigious 'St Cecilia' award for female choristers.

At age 17, Jenkins received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where she simultaneously studied Italian, German, French, and Russian alongside her music studies. Graduating with honors, she earned a diploma in music education.

Musical Career

After brief stints as an unqualified music teacher and a model, Jenkins entered the 'Face of Wales 2000' contest, prompting her to pursue her musical career seriously. Her demo tape reached the independent label Universal Classics & Jazz, and she was invited to a meeting where she performed the renowned aria 'Una voce poco fa.' The label offered her a £1 million, six-album deal, one of the largest classical contracts in British history.

Jenkins' six studio albums from 2004 to 2008 topped the classical charts, with sales exceeding 4 million copies. In 2007, she was ranked 62nd in the 'Sunday Times Rich List' with an estimated fortune of £9 million. She became the first UK classical crossover artist to win two consecutive Classical Brit Awards and the best-selling mezzo-soprano with her debut album 'Premiere.'

Jenkins shattered another record with her album 'Serenade,' selling 50,000 copies in its first week. Her fifth album, 'Rejoice,' reached number three on the pop album chart, outperforming the Spice Girls and Girls Aloud. Jenkins remarked, "When I was a young girl and listened to them on the radio, I never thought I'd be here overtaking the Spice Girls and Celine Dion."

In October 2008, Jenkins released her final album with Universal Music, 'Sacred Arias,' before signing a $10 million deal with Warner Music. Her album 'Believe' was released in 2009 and remains her latest studio album.

Personal Life

Jenkins' father, Selvino, passed away from lung cancer at age 70 when she was 15. She wrote about her loss in the liner notes of her album and dedicated her achievements and awards to him.

While attending the Royal Academy of Music, Jenkins was attacked and nearly raped by a stranger while walking home after an evening out with friends. She was within two minutes of her London home when he grabbed her and attempted to pull her into an alley. Jenkins fought him off and ran, but he caught up to her and knocked her to the ground with a punch. She curled up into a ball, preventing the attack but sustaining kicks to her body. The man was never found. Of the incident, Jenkins said, "It was just horrific. I was in shock. It took me a long time to come to terms with it, and my mom was devastated too. I genuinely believe I was very lucky."

In November 2008, Jenkins revealed to the 'Daily Mail' that she had taken Class A drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, during her student years but had given up in 2003 upon signing with her record label.