Charlotte Church recalls press intrusion as 'insane'

Singer Charlotte Church has described the media's treatment of her as a young woman as a "travesty".

The 39-year-old, from Llandaff in Cardiff, has previously claimed she was hacked by the now-defunct News Of The World newspaper at the age of 16, which ultimately led to an apology from publishers News Group Newspapers and the award of substantial damages to the young star.

The singer, who earned the moniker the Voice of an Angel at the height of her fame, said that reading media coverage at the time "felt like a knife to the skin".

"The press intrusion was insane, there was all sorts of dark stuff going on," said Church, who joins the line-up on BBC One's Celebrity Traitors this Wednesday.

Speaking to The Big Issue, the singer and presenter - who first rose to fame at the age of 11 - said: "I know a lot of teenagers feel like things are unfair, but the sense of injustice I had was so keen.

"There were stories in the papers all the time and lots of things were blown up, misconstrued and made seedy - when they really weren't.

"There was a lot of shame being thrown at me, with the press desperately trying to make me a figure of sin and push this 'fallen angel' narrative," added Church, who now runs a wellness retreat in Powys.

In 2005, the Crazy Chick singer - who had embarked on a career in pop - became involved with Wales international rugby player Gavin Henson, a relationship which drew a lot of media attention - with the couple christened 'the Welsh Posh and Becks'.

The pair went on to have two children but split in 2010, weeks after announcing their engagement.

During a high-profile legal battle, which was eventually settled in 2012, it was revealed Church had been put under surveillance by News Group Newspaper journalists and her medical records had been hacked.

Church said her fury and defiance at the situation helped her survive the media scrutiny and coverage, and "kept me protected".

"If I had let that shame in, or internalised it, my life could have gone in a very different way," she said.