Katherine Jenkins has opened her heart on her family’s struggle after her brother-in-law died.
Sister Laura’s husband Gavin Johnson, with whom she has two sons, passed away earlier this year but the cause was not revealed.
And the loss stirred tough memories as Katherine and Laura lost their own dad when they were 15 and 13 respectively.
The star, 40, said of her nephews: “Children are very resilient and the boys are doing really well.”
Mezzo-soprano Katherine, who had grief counselling as a teen, hailed child bereavement charity Grief Encounter for its support.
She said the family got “good advice for how to handle it and talk to [the kids] about it”.
She added: “How you set that precedent of communication is so important for the rest of
the journey.”
Katherine also told how losing dad Selwyn to lung cancer had “a massive effect” on her, saying: “It makes me live every day as if it’s the last, I want to live life for him.”
And speaking in a Netmums podcast, the singer said she fears her children Aaliya, five, and Xander, two, with hubby Andrew Levitas, 43, ever losing one of them.
She said: “I’m crazy about taking photos of us with them because I don’t have many pictures of me and my dad. In case something happens, I want them to have memories.”
Katherine still talks to her father before she goes on stage, and says his presence “informs and shapes everything I do”.
“I do think that he’s somehow been on this journey with me,” she says.
Katherine also credits her “strong” mum with her ability to raise her and Laura while coping with her own grief.
“She had two teenage daughters, she had to navigate the situation and bring us up by herself, which must have been so daunting,” she says. “There are different dynamics within a family when there’s grief.”
Visit griefencounter.org.uk for help supporting bereaved children.
*Hear Katherine Jenkins' episode of Netmums' Sweat, Snot & Tears on Tuesday 17th November 2020 at netmums.com/podcast
