The 'mumager' and stepfather who made Charlotte Church a millionaire: Child prodigy was worth £25 million by 11 and says her mother's partner pushed her to stay in the limelight - but 'pressure cooker' of fame almost ruined their relationship

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Charlotte Church revealed this week that the huge personal fortune of £25 million she amassed as a child soprano has all but disappeared, with the now 38-year-old star claiming she's 'no longer a millionaire'.

The singer, who first shot to fame at the age of just 11, after singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu on ITV's This Morning, gained control of her own finances at the age of 16, after sensationally sacking her mother, Maria, and her step-father James, who'd helped her earn her teenage millions. 

In a new interview this week, the singer once dubbed the 'Voice of an Angel' revealed that her six-bedroom £1.5million mansion has been traded in for a more humble semi-detached property in her native Wales in a bid to keep her finances stable. 

From that first TV performance until a spectacular teenage rebellion five years later that would break the family apart, 'mumager' Maria and stepfather James Church, who wed Maria when the singer was just three and adopted her in 1999, were firmly in the driving seat of the child prodigy's career. 

Opportunities: After shooting to fame at just 11, Charlotte Church would amass a £25million personal fortune during her teenage years, with her mumager Maria, and stepfather James, guiding the young soprano's career - but this week, the star suggested she felt pressured during her teenage years to keep making money

This week, the star, who revealed most of her millions have now gone, said her step-father James wanted to keep her in the spotlight despite her desire to live more like a normal teen

The singer, who's now married to musician Jonathan Powell, has long referred to James as 'dad' after her biological father, Stephen Reed, who died from Covid in 2021, walked out on the family when she was just a toddler.

However, this week she reflected on her stepfather's ambition, revealing his desire to keep saying yes to lucrative opportunities that came the teenager's way sparked the rift that would eventually end their working relationship. 

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."

While the three are now close once more - particularly since James' diagnosis with rare terminal illness AL amyloidosis in 2019, her stratospheric success and the pressures of fame for a time shattered their relationship - with Charlotte estranged from her mum and stepfather for two years when she was just 16. 

In 2022, the singer revealed how, frustrated by a gruelling showbiz schedule and having faced terrifying kidnap threats, she rebelled against her mum and stepfather, running away from the family home at 16. 

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 says her huge wealth has been lost in the decades since (pictured in 1999)

She told Kate Garraway's Life Stories that she 'needed to be free' and bolted from her mum and James' care following an argument with Maria, who had caught her smoking.

The fall-out was so severe, it resulted in Maria suffering a nervous breakdown after the former child star refused to speak to her and stepdad James for nearly two years.

Speaking about that time, Charlotte said she was just pushing back on her restricted life: '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 38, recently claimed she is 'not a millionaire' anymore and is being forced to downsize her home. Pictured: In May 2023

Charlotte Church sitting outside Rydoldog House, which she has turned into a wellness retreat after buying it for £1.5million; she sold the property in March this year

The singer's early career was controlled by her mother Maria and step-father James (Pictured, with mum Maria in 1999)

Normal teen: Aged just 16, Charlotte broke free from her stifling showbiz schedule and ran away from home, breaking ties with her mum and James for two years after she was caught smoking (The singer pictured in 2005, and, right 2008)

Heartbreak: After sacking her parents when she was just 16, the teen soprano largely took control of her own finances, with her mum and step-parents using the money they'd made to invest in various ventures including a pub, B&B and more recently a dog grooming business  (The family pictured in 2004) 

Without her parents help with finances, the Welsh singer reportedly spent her millions, including £10,000 on a girls' holiday to Ibiza back in 2004

There had also been a bitter legal battle in 2000, with pop talent manager Jonathan Shalit, who first discovered Charlotte while she was performing in a pub in Cardiff.

The legal tangle saw James and Maria settle in a breach of contract case when the singer was just 14.  

Shalit's lawyers claimed Maria had sacked him while in contract because she no longer wanted to pay his commission. 

The teenage singer said outside the courtroom when the case was over: 'This has been a horrible year for me and the rest of the family. I am really glad it is all over.' 

However, just two years later the teenager sensationally fired James and Maria, after she became romantically involved with DJ Steven Johnson, who her parents disagreed with.

She said finding fame changed the family's dynamic: 'I don't think anything went wrong it was just like a pressure cooker... there was a couple of kidnap plots when I was a kid, a whole load of stress and pressure, we were living in each other's pockets.

The family's fall-out was so severe, it resulted in Maria suffering a nervous breakdown after the former child star refused to speak to her and stepdad James for nearly two years 

Close again: After Maria and James stepped away from her career, the family eventually reconciled and now enjoy a close relationship  (mother and daughter pictured in 2019) 

'Absolutely my best friend': Charlotte revealed her devastation in 2019 after learning her stepdad is terminally ill

Charlotte married musician Jonathan Powell in a secret ceremony surrounded by just a few friends and family in 2017 (pictured in 2015) 

Church added: 'It’s only with hindsight that I knew just what it meant to my mum. It felt like they had completely lost me and just this whole life that we had built together for the last few years.' 

In the decades since, James and Maria have long been financially independent of the singer, investing the money they made from Charlotte's career in a B&B and dog grooming business. 

Maria once said: 'When she no longer needed us as chaperones after she reached 16, we had to think of new ways to earn money. 

'I knew we were good with people, so when a B&B came up for sale in 2003, we thought, “Let’s give this a go.”'.

James continues to battle ill health, but the couple are close once more to their daughter

Recent years have seen the trio closer than ever. In 2019, Charlotte revealed her devastation after James was diagnosed with terminal illness AL amyloidosis. 

She said: 'It’s absolutely terrifying the idea of not having him around. I rely on him for so much, he’s my buddy, my absolute best friend and has been for years.' 

James continues to battle ill health but has so far defied doctors predictions that he might live for just six months following his diagnosis. 

Proving just how close Charlotte is with the man she calls 'Dad', he was the first guest on her new podcast series for BBC Sounds. 

In the first episode of 'Kicking Back with the Cardiffians', James told his step-daughter about how his own upbringing had been impoverished and at times brutal. 

He described his first memory growing up in Wales as being subjected to violence by his father. 

He said: 'My father had come home drunk because we all slept in the one bed. I've got two [siblings], a brother and a sister who are older than me. We didn't have pyjamas on and my father came upstairs drunk and beat us with a belt. That was my first memory as a child.'

Charlotte Church with her ex Gavin Henson at a golf tournament in 2005; the couple bought a £500,000 home and a £800,000 yacht together 

The luxury yacht named 'Sketchy' that Charlotte bought with her ex-boyfriend rugby star Gavin Henson. Pictured: Swansea Marina in October 2009

After a shocked Charlotte responded: 'Wow, dad that's f***ing horrific', James responded: 'It's not pleasant. That's why I think what you're doing (with this podcast) is really important. 

'There's a lot of other questions I wish that I'd ask my mother and father before they passed away.'

Charlotte revealed this week that 'she's no longer a millionaire' and has down-sized to keep her finances in check.  

The former child star admitted she frittered away money when she first gained financial control in her late teens. She spent her fortune on a £500,000 lavish manor with ex Gavin Henson, an £800,000 yacht, an Ibiza girls' holiday with a £10,000 bill and, more recently, a £1.5 million hippie retreat.

Despite the 38-year-old detailing her financial misfortune and having to downsize her home, she is reportedly still sitting on assets of over £3.5 million in one of her companies and made a tidy profit of £700,000 on the recent sale of her house. 

Charlotte Church Limited, of which she is the sole director, saw its capital and reserves grow from £3.36million to £3.5million in accounts, which were filed last month.

However, her The Dreaming Limited, which owns the woman-focused countryside retreat which she recently launched to paying guests, has net liabilities of £551,000.