Former child prodigy Charlotte Church, who was worth £25million aged 11, admits she's 'no longer a millionaire' after swapping Welsh mansion for semi-detached home

As a child prodigy who sang in front of the Pope, Charlotte Church amassed a fortune of £25 million by the time she was 11.

But 27 years later the Welsh singer has confessed that her riches have disappeared.

In an interview, Ms Church, now 38, said: 'I'm not a millionaire anymore,' after she was forced to sell her £1.5million mansion to downsize to a semi-detached house.

She also reflected on the fame during her teenage years and revealed it was her adopted father, James Church, who pushed her to stay in the spotlight she so hated.

The mother-of-three said: 'When I made money, I did say to my dad when I was 14, "I'm not sure about this showbiz stuff. I'm not really having a good time," and he was like, "Just stick at it as we don't get these opportunities." 

As a child prodigy who sang in front of the Pope, Charlotte Church amassed a fortune of £25 million by the time she was 11, but she has admitted she is no longer a millionaire (pictured in 1999)

In an interview, Ms Church, now 38, said: 'I'm not a millionaire anymore,' after she was forced to sell her £1.5million mansion to downsize to a semi-detached house

'I did get to a stage in my teenage years, about 16 or 17 when I was like, "I don't know if I can do this s**t anymore".' 

Last year she had to downsize from the £1.5million pad she bought in 2013 and bought a semi-detached home.

Singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu with her astonishing soprano voice on This Morning in 1997 propelled the then 11-year-old into international stardom and she went on to sell 10million records.

She performed in front of the likes of President Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II and the late Queen and King Charles - earning her £25million.

Ms Church couldn't access her fortune until she was 18 but when she finally did the singer did not hold back and stated she would buy a £1million ruby-encrusted bra to make the occasion.

It set Ms Church off on a spending spree and she splashed out on more than £10,000 on a trip to Ibiza with her girlfriends paying for a private villa, buying all their drinks and hiring a personal chauffeur.

When dating the Welsh rugby star Gavin Henson, she bought a home in Cardiff worth £500,000 at the age of 20 and installed a bar at the bottom to indulge in drinking sessions with her boyfriend.

Dubbed the Posh and Beck of rugby the couple owned a £800,000 yacht moored in Swansea Marina before they split in 2010.

Charlotte performed in front of the likes of President Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II and the late Queen and King Charles - earning her £52million (Pictured in May 2023)

Ms Church couldn't access her fortune until she was 18 but when she finally did the singer did not hold back and stated she would buy a £1million ruby-encrusted bra to make the occasion (Pictured in December 2022)

But in 2013, she bought Mr Henson a five-bedroom property so that he could live closer to their children Ruby and Dexter. 

In 2014 her wealth had dropped to £11million and she said in a documentary: 'I will have to work for the rest of my life, not because I want to but because I have to.

'The tax man is looking at my accounts wondering where I'm hiding all my money.'

Meanwhile, the former Voice of an Angel singer bought Rhydoldog House with her husband Mr Powell, whom she shares a four-year-old daughter Freya with, in 2021 and turned it into a retreat for paying guests to 'reconnect with themselves and the natural world'.

The home, which she has renamed The Dreaming, is just outside the rural market town of Rhayader.

However, to open the retreat, she had to overcome a series of planning battles and building problems.

Meanwhile, the former Voice of an Angel singer bought Rhydoldog House with her husband Mr Powell, whom she shares a four-year-old daughter Freya with, in 2021 and turned it into a retreat for paying guests to 'reconnect with themselves and the natural world' (pictured)

The home, which she has renamed The Dreaming (pictured), is just outside the rural market town of Rhayader

Environmental and planning bigwigs expressed particular concerns about her plans for treating and disposing of waste from four proposed log cabins, with the ecology department of the local council warning of the deficiencies of many 'private sewage treatment systems'.

The seven-bedroom mansion has three storeys, a helicopter landing and a 200-year-old barn on its 47 acres.

It is wellness retreat with cycling, archery, foraging, hiking and strength and conditioning lessons available - with a hot tub, plunge pool and outdoor cinema.

Charlotte recently launched her first podcast, Kicking Back with the Cardiffians on BBC Sounds, with new episodes available weekly. On the podcast she discusses her Welsh heritage, family bonds, her working class identity and growing up in Cardiff.