Last night we took pa-in-law and Aunt Betty to a concert given by the “beyond heartbroken” Katherine Jenkins in Ipswich.  We were wondering if she would blub on stage again following her recent broken engagement, and my husband reminded me tersely that anyone else in that situation still has to get up and go to work.

Katherine was a brave soldier and remained smiling and composed in her gorgeous gowns as she sang about love, heartbreak and an empty bed, which couldn’t have been easy for her. A friend who has seen her sing many times thought she had lost weight as a result of her emotional turmoil.

This is the first week of a gruelling two month tour with the very dashing tenor Nathan Pacheco from Virginia. The two sang together at a Disney parade on Christmas Day and Katherine’s break up to fellow Welsh fiance Gethin Jones was announced less than a week later. Nathan is happily married, I believe, so there is no need to jump to conclusions about their professional relationship. From our brief chat afterwards, he told me that by singing together, this could help raise Katherine’s status as a singing star in the US which she has had trouble breaking into, and that they met after he recorded his album at her studio in London.

However, the break-up from Gethin was a topic which Katherine was happy to bring out in the open, telling her audience: “For the last few weeks I didn’t know if I could do this. Thank you for your support.”

And we then sat grieving with her for her lost love as she sang, “And This Is  My Beloved”.  But the real tear-jerker for pa-in-law was “Time To Say Goodbye” which he told us he wants played at his funeral (hopefully, not for a long time yet.)

Aunt Betty and I did wonder if Katherine was milking the sympathy a little bit after she invited audience comments which she read out in the second half, including one which said: “Well done Kath, you are holding up well. Remember when it is time, there are 3,000 soldiers in Afghanistan.”

It’s unfortunate too that the glossy £10 programme included a radiant picture of Katherine proudly displaying her engagement ring. She also describes there her desire to maintain a private life away from the public gaze:

“I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to be a singer and it’s really important for me to keep the interest on my singing and not what I’m doing at home or who I’m seeing. I just don’t think it’s anyone’s business really. Yes, I have a partner who’s also in the public eye, but I’d be going out with him if he was a bin man so we just want to keep it for ourselves.”

I always have difficulty when celebs say their private life is their own as it is the public who has given them the fame and fortune which they can now enjoy, I feel that the fame naturally attracts public curiosity and some adoration, though I did feel for Katherine with her nightmare stalker, so this could be the reason she wants to hold back.

And in answer to a question about what 2012 held in store for her, Katherine’s reply holds no surprises after the way recent events turned out:

“I’ve read all that nonsense that I’m giving it all up tomorrow. It’s not true. What I actually said is that I want to enjoy one day being a mum and I would like to slow down when that happens – but I don’t think that’s going to happen in the next 12 months.”

Despite her reluctant fame, Katherine is blessed in many ways with her voice and beauty, but she still looks like the fresh-faced girl next door. I wonder if her recent heartache will help transform her into an astounding Maria Callas diva who suffered so much for her love of Aristotle Onassis ….

Btw, Nathan had many adoring women fans and a rapturous applause too, with one woman shouting out, “I love you Nathan!”

And Katherine was a real star, the show did go on despite her heartache, and any woman who has suffered a broken heart knows how tough this must have been. Thank you for a great evening.

Here are Katherine and Nathan, courtesy of Asianj123 from Disneyland:

*Coincidentally, two sets of friends were also at the same concert. One group staked the stage door and managed to get Katherine’s autograph and a kiss after she sweetly wound down her car window when she saw them outside shivering! Not so difficult if you use some common sense and strategy; they did wait outside in the freezing cold for half an hour and send yellow roses to her changing room too!