Katherine Jenkins says losing her father as a teenager was a ‘crossroads moment’ in her life
Singer’s father died of lung cancer when she was 15
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Katherine Jenkins has opened up about her experiences with grief following the death of her father as a teenager.
The Welsh singer was raised by her mother Susan and father Selwyn, the latter of whom died of lung cancer when she was 15. She has dedicated every award she’s won since to him.
In a new interview with The Times, Jenkins, 42, described losing her dad as “the crossroads moment of my childhood”.
“He was an older dad and was a househusband looking after my sister, Laura, and me, while my mum went out to work,” she said.
“We lost him very quickly to lung cancer. He died two weeks before my GCSEs and although that doesn’t sound like good timing, it meant I had something to throw myself into.”
Jenkins then explained that her dad dying at such a pivotal point in her education meant she struggled to properly come to terms with her emotions at the time.
“Focusing so hard at school meant that initially I didn’t deal with my grief,” she said.
“I needed help to cope with it and had some therapy, but it made me want to push forward in the things that I love and care about, which has always been singing.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the singer said that she was “not worried” about ageing.
“I like being in my forties,” she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments