Katherine Jenkins to be part of Raymond Blanc event

If Katherine Jenkins decided to live in America no one could blame her. Having put her firmly on the pedestal reserved solely for beautiful Welsh girls who sing like angels, we then spent the next few years trying to tear her down.

Why this gentle, lilting songstress should be the recipient of so much wrath is unclear. “There seems to be a culture of women writers who are down on other women. I’m always applauding women for what they do, so I don’t understand it,” Katherine shrugs.

Not that the 34-year-old from Neath would ever give in. She hasn’t got this far to be felled by a few cheap remarks about divas, lipgloss and weightloss, instead escaping to America to record her new album and take part in their version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars, which endeared her to a whole new nation and spread her fame even further. Meeting her fiancé, the American Andrew Levitas, a film-maker and artist, who proposed this year, was the icing on the cake.

But now she’s back, promoting her album, giving concerts, and enjoying life in the UK once more. “I feel very lucky and blessed, because, touch wood, 2014 has been great. It started with the OBE, which I wasn’t expecting at all, then the album with Universal, I became an auntie and I’m getting married, really amazing stuff,” she beams with that big, white-toothed smile which has bewitched us now for nearly a decade.

“I almost feel like it’s part of the culture in some ways, that you have to go through a period when you get knocked down. And of course that’s hard because it changes people’s perceptions of who you are and you can only adjust people’s opinions by speaking to one person at a time, so that’s what I’m doing. Because, despite what people think, I’m not an attention-seeker but make time in my life to do what’s important to me.”

Like becoming the new Forces Sweetheart flying out to Iraq and Afghanistan regularly to entertain the troops? “Yes, but I don’t go to Afghanistan for the publicity but because I think we should say thank you.”

It’s a shame she has to pre-empt any negativity, but she has learned the hard way; the furore surrounding her admission that she took drugs as a student, and her break-up from her then fiancé, TV presenter Gethin Jones, being blown out of all proportion.

“There was a period last year when I felt I couldn’t do right for doing wrong and couldn’t win,” she says reflectively.

"But I also realise I'm very lucky and have amazing support in this country from my fans and loyal supporters which means the world to me. I couldn’t have done the last 10 years without them. I just need to grow a thicker skin but my friends and family are really great and they know the truth.”

“And I don’t mind doing interviews actually. I like talking to people and am desperate to talk about my new album because I am absolutely thrilled with it and can’t wait for people to hear it.

The classical cross-over singer has been in the studio since January and delighted with the results: “While you aren’t looking to repeat the same album that you’ve already made, I feel like I have come full circle because I’m back with Universal who first signed me. I was with Warners before, who were more commercial,” she says carefully, “and while I don’t regret any of my career I now know what I love and what I like to sing, so this album is very authentic and feels right. It’s exactly what I wanted it to be and its energy reflects that.”

Mixing it up: Raymond Blanc and Katherine Jenkins

Coming to Le Manoir later this month to entertain guests with a recital as part of the Martell Very Special Nights, Katherine is therefore on top of the world: “I love it at Le Manoir and am very excited to be going back. I sang at their mini festival and became friends with Raymond Blanc who invited me and my fiance to Le Manoir’s Cookery School and it was the best few days. I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she giggles, “I really enjoy cooking, especially baking and things seem to come out OK.”

Such an intimate gig presumably means that Katherine doesn’t get as nervous as when singing at say Westminster Cathedral in honour of Pope John Paul II's Silver Jubilee or before the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall? “I prepare for all concerts and recitals in the same way. It doesn’t make a difference who I’m performing for or to whom, whether it’s for thousands or just a few. This will be more intimate and resonant because I will be able to see people’s faces so it will be very special,” the multi-platinum selling singer smiles.

And yet we all have off days, when we don’t want to face the music, so does she ever resent her voice? “No, I don’t see it that way at all. My voice is always a gift and I see it as my duty to look after it because not only am I very, very lucky to have a voice but also the opportunity to use it. When I went to college (she won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with honours) lots of people there had better voices than me and never got the same opportunities that came my way, so it’s my responsibility to do the best I can ,so that when people come to see me I give them the best performance possible.”

How to phrase this then, because the whole Katherine Jenkins package is pretty unbeatable, and she’s a pretty girl, her image therefore being part of her success. “Of course there’s a lot of hard work involved in maintaining a career. I think there is a misconception that once you’re famous, everything is sorted, but I had some good advice on day one, that for every 20 record deals signed, only one will make it and that’s when the hard work has to kick in. So behind the scenes I’m hard at work, travelling and putting in some long hours, but it’s the nature of the job and I love my job so it’s what I’m willing to do.

But back to the question. “Yes I’m a girly girl and love the dresses and getting ready, but its appropriate for me to be like that when I work. I’m not always so glamorous. I can veg out at home with the best of them and walk around without make-up or heels. Here I am in my shorts and T-shirt, hair in a ponytail,” she laughs.

“So when I do get time off, I like cooking, baking, fitness.... Dancing With The Stars got my fitness levels up and it seems a shame to waste them, so I swim, cycle and train, but my big priority is catching up with family and friends, and having dinner out with my girlfriends, seeing my godson.....”

Which does beg the closing question about where she will choose to live once she’s married. “I hear this all the time and would like to reiterate how much I love the UK and that I’m not going anywhere, although there are also times when I will need to be in The States because my new family is going to be there. Why do you think I’m spending my summer showing off the best of the UK?” she laughs, “I’m showcasing it for a reason because it is an amazing place.”

On Friday July 25, Martell Cognac is holding a Martell Very Special Nights event at Oxfordshire’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons with dinner hosted by Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc, a live intimate performance by singer Katherine Jenkins and delicious cocktails by Martell Cognac, accompanied by a four-course dinner, followed by a Martell Cognac masterclass. Tickets are free, but you must sign up to Maison Martell before July 11. www.martellveryspecialnights.com