Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins has warned talent is draining away as she slammed the Government’s failure to protect the arts during the coronavirus pandemic.
She also said she considered the ads urging people in the industry to retrain in areas like IT to be “some kind of sick joke”.
The Tories caused uproar earlier this year when an image of a ballet dancer with the tag: “Fatima’s next job could be in cyber” appeared on advertisements.
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Neath-born Katherine, 40, said: “We are going to lose a generation of incredibly talented people.
“I deal with such talented people who are having to think about whether they are going to be Amazon drivers.”
The Welsh mum-of-two claimed several of her colleagues had been left desperate and urged the Government to act.
Speaking on Emma Forbes’ podcast Life and Soul, she added: “The sooner we can get in front of an audience the better.
"At times like this, we need the arts more than ever. ”
With theatres shut down since lockdown and live concerts halted, people from all areas of the industry have seen their work dry up in 2020.
Katherine has been keeping herself busy in recent months performing lockdown concerts via her Facebook page and she has recorded a Christmas spectacular with guests at London's Royal Albert Hall - minus an audience - which is due to be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve.
She said: “It opened my eyes to the possibility of doing something again. It would have to be a passion project – like a musical film.”
