Katherine Jenkins' My London

'We'll go for Midnight Mass, play Trivial Pursuit and watch Doctor Who'
Hannah Nathanson10 April 2012

Singer Katherine Jenkins wears reindeer costumes to parties, sings 'In the Bleak Midwinter' and eats up her brussels sprouts...

Home is
Neath in South Wales will always be home. I've lived in North London for 12 years but it took me a while to feel settled.

What was the last play you saw in London?
War Horse at the National. It was one of the best things I've seen. It moved me to tears.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Take a walk in one of the parks. I'd visit the Rose Garden and zoo in Regent's Park and go for a boat ride on the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Which London shops do you rely on?
For food I like Planet Organic, and Space NK for my beauty fix. I always find something in French Connection because it's my style and suits my shape. For shoes, I'll go to Selfridges. I've just bought some nude YSL platforms.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I love the seared tuna and yellow kale at Zuma in Knightsbridge.

What's your earliest London memory?
Coming on a choir tour aged ten and getting caught up in the Poll Tax riots. It was frantic and scary, quite a traumatic first impression.

What would be on your tombstone?
'Beloved wife and mother', hopefully.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Malibu and Diet Coke, Angel Delight and the TV programme Four Weddings. It's hysterical watching people slate other people's weddings.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
Make it a free shopping day for everyone.

What's your life philosophy?
'It's never crowded on the extra mile.'

What animal would you most like to be?
A songbird. They're free, independent and sing.

What was the last album you bought?
Barbra Streisand's Classical Barbra. I listen to it when I'm cooking.

What would you save from a fire?
Photographs of my dad, who died of cancer when I was 15.

What makes you laugh?
Talking to my three-year-old godson Jack.

What makes you cry?
Seeing elderly people on the street who look lonely. I worry that they don't have anyone looking after them.

What are you up to at the moment?
I've been filming the Doctor Who Christmas special and I'm off to Afghanistan just before Christmas to sing for the troops.

Which is your favourite shopping street?
Kensington High Street has everything, including nice cafés for coffee and a treat.

Who's your hero?
My mum for bringing us up the way she did. She's a strong, brave woman.

What do you most like wearing?
Victoria Beckham dresses. They make you feel curvy and glamorous.

Where's the most romantic place in London?
Walking along the South Bank with my boyfriend [Gethin Jones] under all the glistening lights.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I had the most amazing holiday in Pangkor, an island off Malaysia; it was paradise. I'll go back to Wales for Christmas. We'll go for Midnight Mass, have lunch and then play Trivial Pursuit at my Auntie Jo's while watching Doctor Who.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you?
I was shopping at Tesco when the bottom of my maxi dress got caught in the trolley wheel. I couldn't move until someone came to release me. Never go food shopping in a maxi dress.

Which is your favourite Christmas carol?
'In the Bleak Midwinter' is haunting and moving. I love community carol singing.

What's the best part of Christmas dinner?
I'm a veggie but I do love the stuffing, roast potatoes and sprouts.

What would you wear to a Christmas fancy-dress party?
A reindeer costume. I always try to be funny rather than sexy with my fancy dress.
HANNAH NATHANSON

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