Danielle de Niese has opened up about family life with her husband Gus Christie and their children, nine-year-old son Bacchus and daughter Sheherazade, three, in an exclusive interview with HELLO!
In our shoot taking place at Glyndebourne, her East Sussex estate, the opera singer, 45, also reveals how she's loving life and never felt better.
Gus is the executive chairman of the annual opera festival held on the estate, and Danni is its golden star. Her performance this summer as Hanna in Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow played out to rave reviews in front of star-studded audiences, sparking talk of a transfer to the West End.
"They see all my shows but will often stand in the wings because they like to dance around with us there, " Danni said of her children. "And the songs are so catchy."
"The other day, my three-year-old was like: 'Na na na na, na na na na… champagne… na na na na,'" she sings.
"I said to Sheherazade: 'Do you like that song, darling?' She was like: 'Alexa, play the song from Mummy in the theatre,' and Alexa was like: 'I don't know the song Mummy.'"
Glyndebourne estate, is, she agrees, a magical environment for them to grow up in, which in turn has shaped their personalities.
"They are strong, magnetic children," she says, proudly. "They have a performer mother and a father who runs a theatre, so they're going to be dynamic. They can hear the sound of the audience from the nursery or bedroom."
She wouldn't be surprised if they pursued a career in the arts. "They and Gus are the only people who know what it's like to be born and grow up in an environment where they've only ever known a household full of artists."
Feeling fabulous in her 40s
Speaking candidly about her age, Danni said: "Most of the time, I don't feel 45. I feel like the same person I was ten, 20 or 30 years ago. When I was younger, I remember reading about celebrities hitting their 40s and saying: 'I'm in the best shape of my life and doing my best work,' and I feel the same.
"Also, everybody says that in your 40s, your voice finally settles into the colour it will be for the rest of your career."
The opera world doesn't discriminate in terms of age as much as film does, she believes. "It's not like in Hollywood, where you age out of the ingenue roles but haven't yet aged into the mum roles.
"We have lots of roles for which we suspend our disbelief, because maybe a 35-year-old is playing a 15-year-old in an opera. And if you're lucky to have good genes and look the part, it's great."
Photographer: Elisabeth Hoff
Stylist: Olivia Pomp
Hair & Make-up: Dina Catchpole using ZOEVA Cosmetics and Ruby Hammer Beauty using Fudge @thecreativeartistsltd
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