Charlotte Church has made an astonishing admission during her appearance on Thursday’s instalment of This Morning.
The singer, 37, revealed she was able to sit two of her GCSEs in The White House and was even given a cup of tea by an invigilator during her tests.
Speaking to hosts Craig Doyle and Alison Hammond, Charlotte said: ‘I think I sat two GCSE’s in the white house.’
Charlotte Church, 37, has made an astonishing admission during her appearance on Thursday’s instalment of This Morning
It comes after she recently spoke about the ‘hardcore’ renovation of her £1.5million wellness retreat in Wales and her plans for the project.
Charlotte finally opened her green retreat last month after overcoming building problems and winning a series of planning battles to transform the property.
She has transformed the former home of Laura Ashley in the Elan Valley into a wellbeing retreat, complete with a ‘womb room’ and vagina-shaped showers.
Now, Charlotte has spoken about the process of transforming the house and her plans for the retreat now she has finally opened the doors.
Speaking on the latest episode of Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett’s Dish podcast, Charlotte shared how she turned the property into a ‘green retreat’.
It comes after she recently spoke about the ‘hardcore’ renovation of her £1.5million wellness retreat in Wales and her plans for the project
She explained how the retreat, called The Dreaming, sources power from a hydro mill and has a water source heat pump to provide hot water.
She said of the site: ‘We’re flanked by two waterfalls, either side. One which has got hydro mill, so we get a lot of our power from the hydro mill in the Elan Valley, which is situated in the Cambrian Mountains.
‘And it’s just like, oh, it’s so beautiful. I love it so much. I’ve been doing a renovation of it for the last two years, which was hardcore. But amazing.
‘Like I really got to just be really creative and just put like, all of my creativity into, into something so different to, you know, music or anything that I would generally think I was creative at, I suppose.’
Charlotte went on to speak about her own role at The Dreaming, say she plans to work as a ‘sound healer’, which involves ‘singing to the land’.
The former pop star said: ‘I’m a sound healer now, so I’m doing stuff at The Dreaming, which is really about pulling out the strands of how sound can be used for healing, how voice can be used for healing.’
‘I wanna sort of try and meld this idea of music and healing, and voice and healing, with that joy and ecstasy,’ she added.
Speaking about what people can expect when coming to the retreat, Charlotte said people and ‘pick and choose’ which activities they do to discover what their bodies need.
She went on: ‘Everything’s supposed to be very much that you, it’s like a buffet. You pick and choose. When you come there, you drop into your body and you, and you start to really feel out, what does your body need? What do I wanna do?
Charlotte finally opened her green retreat last month after overcoming building problems and winning a series of planning battles to transform the property
Unique: She has transformed the former home of Laura Ashley in the Elan Valley into a wellbeing retreat, complete with a ‘womb room’ and vagina-shaped showers (pictured)
Big plans: Now, Charlotte has spoken about the process of transforming the house and her plans for the retreat now she has finally opened the doors
‘For some people, they just need total radical rest ’cause their nervous systems are burnt out, for other people they need to go and explore and like really be captivated by nature, and almost return to that childlike wonder and awe.
‘So, it’s nature connection, sound healing – I’m a practitioner there and I go and do sound journeys and I do singing to the land.
‘And the, then the third pillar of it is ceremony in terms of like rituals and ways of being, living really close to the land, and really seasonally.’
Touching on why she decided to set up the retreat, Charlotte said she has been an activist for years and wanted to channel her ‘values’ into her work projects.
She said: ‘I really care about the future and the future of the planet, you know, I really think that we can turn things around and so I wanted to be involved in projects and I wanted to start projects, which was living my values really, and living my activism.
‘We’ve got a water source heat pump and we’ve got the hydro mill, and we’re gonna have a huge food growing project.
‘So this year we’ll have about an acre, an acre and a half of land in which to grow food, and then, In the next two or three years, that’s gonna grow to like three or four acres.’
As well as her plans for a food growing project, Charlotte said she will be able to forage in the 80,000 acres of forest surrounding The Dreaming.
The Voice Of An Angel hitmaker said she has priced the retreat on a ‘sliding scale’ so it is not too far out of people’s price ranges.
She said: ‘We’ve got a sliding scale price range and a pay what you can system. So that on every retreat there’s a pay what you can space, because I – you know, everybody’s struggling, so I want us to make sure that we’re not too bougie.’
Breaks start from £450 for three days, but ‘to allow access for people of all means, The Dreaming offers a “pay what you can” space on every three-day retreat’.
Charlotte is the owner of The Dreaming, which is situated in the Elan Valley in Cwmdauddwr, Powys, and was once owned by fashion legend Laura Ashley.
To open the lavish retreat, Charlotte overcame a series of planning battles and building problems.
Environmental and planning bigwigs expressed particular concerns about her plans for treating and disposing of waste from four proposed log cabins, with the ecology department of the local council warning of the deficiencies of many ‘private sewage treatment systems’.
In addition, last December the retreat plans were also opposed by her local council – who feared it could cause ‘unacceptable risk’ to drivers.
A spokesperson said of the resort: ‘The Dreaming offers an escape from the complexity of modern life; connecting people back to the land, to themselves, and to their journeys.’
The property’s makeover into a green retreat was turned into a documentary series on the Discovery Channel – and is finally open for guests.
The retreats are three days and take place at the weekend (The Journeyer) and mid-week (The Nurturer). During the stay, guests are offered a wide selection of wellbeing activities.
Work: Charlotte spoke about her own role at The Dreaming, say she plans to work as a ‘sound healer’, which involves ‘singing to the land’
Prices: The Voice Of An Angel hitmaker said she has priced the retreat on a ‘sliding scale’ so it is not too far out of people’s price ranges
Business: Charlotte is the owner of The Dreaming, which is situated in the Elan Valley in Cwmdauddwr, Powys, and was once owned by fashion legend Laura Ashley
Obstacles: To open the lavish retreat, Charlotte overcame a series of planning battles and building problems
The activities include yoga, a sound healing ceremony, foraging, mythic storytelling, star-gazing, cold water immersion, singing at dawn, den building, sensory portal building, painting, dance, dreamwork, outdoor cinema, herbalism, woodwork, meditation, Qi Gong, silent disco and night time forest bathing.
Rhydoldog House, which Charlotte has poured her life savings into transforming, has seven bedrooms over three storeys with glorious views of the Welsh countryside.
There is a 200-year-old barn that will be converted into a large hall for gatherings and events along with guest houses.
Dish from Waitrose & Partners, hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett is available on all podcast providers now.
