Pain&fortune
After Charlotte Church admitted to finding fame sometimes difficult to navigate, we take a look at some of the other names who faced similar problems at a young age
THIS week, Charlotte Church has said becoming an overnight star tore her family apart. The singer was just 11 when she sang Pie Jesu over the phone on This Morning in 1997. And while she went on to sell 10million records and net a £9million fortune, the family had to deal with kidnap threats and her mum’s nervous breakdown when Charlotte left home aged 16.
As well as music, Charlotte tried her hand at being a chat show host and was in the headlines when her first marriage broke down. Tonight, Charlotte makes a return to TV in Channel 4 documentary, Charlotte Church: My Family and Me.
Here are other child stars who have found the path of fame after early success isn’t easy.
LENA ZAVARONI
She was discovered in 1973 by a record producer who was holidaying in her home town of Rothesay.
The following year she appeared on Opportunity Knocks, which was followed by an album Ma! (He’s Making Eyes at Me) which reached No8 and still holds the record for Lena, at 10, to be the youngest person to have an album in the top 10.
Still one of Scotland’s brightest stars, Lena had some success in America and her own UK TV show in 1979. But from the age of 13, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, blaming it on the pressure to fit into costumes when she was “developing as a woman”. She battled it through the 80s and was unable to continue her early success despite some comebacks. She died at the age of 35 from pneumonia.
MACAULAY CULKIN
The Home Alone actor began acting at the age of four and was nine when he filmed Home Alone. The film came out in 1990, when he was 10, making him a worldwide star. He went on to work on a sequel and 90s films My Girl and Richie Rich. But by 1994, aged 14, he quit acting and went to school. His parents split in 1995 and his mum won a bitter court battle. The actor has since revealed he was glad he stopped acting so he could escape his father, who he claims was abusive.
He emancipated himself from his parents, which allowed him to remove control over his wealth. While he’s never hit the acting heights again and was busted for drugs in 2004, he seems content with a Bunny Ears podcast, some acting work and a £11.8million fortune. Why would you want to leave home?
MILEY CYRUS
She is one of the world’s most famous people at the moment – her love life making headlines around the world.
The daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, she appeared in the film Big Fish but it was the title role in Hannah Montana, when she was 11, that made her a household name.
The Disney TV series began in 2006 and she became a teen idol, releasing music which continued after she quit the show. In 2010, the then 18-year-old Miley was videoed using a bong, ending her wholesome Hannah Montana image.
She’s since appeared naked astride a wrecking ball, advocated drug use and navigated a sometimes chaotic love life, including the recent split with Liam Hemsworth while continuing her musical success.
DREW BARRYMORE
After her break out role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982 at the age of four, Drew became one of the decades most famous child stars.
However, she quickly fell in with a bad crowd. She began smoking at age nine, drinking at age 11, moved on to marijuana by 12 and was snorting cocaine by age 13. By 14 years old, she had attempted suicide and attended rehab. But she kept working and appeared in films like Scream, The Wedding Singer and Charlie’s Angels in 2000, which she also produced.
RIVER PHOENIX
His younger brother Joaquin is in Joker at the moment but growing up, River was the star. At 12, River had made it on to America TV and in 1986 was a Hollywood star with Stand By Me. My Own Private Idaho in 1991 made him the most exciting actor of his generation but he was taking drugs. He was 23 when he overdosed outside The Viper Room in LA after speedballing cocaine and morphine.