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by
BBC News Online
After turning 18 on Saturday, singer Charlotte Church is old enough
to enjoy a multimillion pound spending spree, as she gains access to
the fortune from the global success of her recording career.
But the teenage star has vowed not to get carried away by the
windfall, which her mother says is closer to £7m than the £16m
claimed by some.
Most of the money will remain in a trust fund, although Church is
currently house-hunting in Cardiff, and has her heart set on a Mini
Cooper convertible - when she learns to drive.
And she has no plans to stop earning either, with her latest project
- an album of new material - due out later this year.
Charlotte Church celebrated
her birthday with parties in London and Cardiff
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On Thursday, Church told reporters that what she really wanted for
her birthday she wanted a £1m ruby-encrusted bra.
It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the multimillion pound fortune
she has inherited after six years of selling millions of records all
around the globe.
But the reality is a little more down-to-earth - her mother gave her
a CD player, some clothes and jewellery, and she will still receive
a monthly allowance.
She told the BBC it was her decision to leave the money alone "to
sit in banks and grow".
"I could have taken it or left it in the trust, and I left it in the
trust - I don't need that amount of money at this age," she said.
And, while she is planning to spend some cash on a house in the
Cardiff suburbs of Canton, Victoria Park and Pontcanna, it is hardly
frivolous spending, as expert Richard Barningham, from RM Financial
Advice, explained.
"If she is going to spend, she should put stable roots down, like
buying a property," he told News Online.
"If she wants a car, she should get one - why not? She has earned
it, but she shouldn't fritter it away on a top-end Ferrari which she
can't insure."
Musically she is looking to diversify, after the success of The
Opera Song (Brave New World), her dance collaboration with Jurgen
Vries, which reached number three in the charts.
Her new album out later this year will be a mix of "rock, soulful
stuff and electric styles".
Jonathan Shalit is looking forward to
seeing what Church will do next
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"I love every type of music and that's what I have done," she told
BBC News Online.
"I have a lot of different voices and I have used them all - I think
people will be surprised."
But she warned that, if she got bored, she could walk away from the
industry that has made her a superstar.
"At the moment I love making music - the minute I don't I will go
and travel and enjoy my life a bit."
Industry experts agree that she has a luxury of choices about what
to do next.
Former manager Jonathan Shalit told News Online Church "can do
whatever she wants".
"She can turn her hand to music, theatre, acting, film - the world
is her oyster and she can dictate the terms."
He added that, while her debut movie I'll Be There flopped at the
box office on both sides of the Atlantic, "people in Hollywood" had
reacted very well to her performance.
Chris Griffin, meanwhile, who worked at Sony with Church, said she
had "so many choices" for her future career.
"I hope she will go off and do something extraordinary, and enjoy
some of the money," he said.
Aled Jones said Church had the world at her feet
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One person watching Church's career with particular interest is
fellow former child star, Aled Jones, who has branched out into TV
presenting since leaving his soprano days behind.
"Charlotte is a bright and extremely talented young lady," he told
News Online.
"She has the world at her feet."
But one thing at least is certain. With millions in the bank, and
fans around the globe, whatever the future holds for the girl with
the Voice of an Angel, it is unlikely to be dull.
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