Church blames snappers for smoking habit

Singing star Charlotte Church today blamed the paparazzi for her failure to quit smoking

"I've been trying to give up smoking so I was quite irritable as you can imagine. And they were following us around and I just wanted to throw something at them," she told BBC Breakfast News.

Despite the pressure the Cardiff teenager, who recently released her first pop album Tissues and Issues, said she had managed to cut down from 20-a-day to just two or three after meals.

"I've not be using the nicotine patches, just willpower," she said, "But I have been told to chew on a straw every time I want a cigarette."

Church, who appears in the video for her latest single Call my Name dressed in a basque and frilly knickers, admitted her image has changed since her days as the Voice of an Angel child opera star.

"I did five classical albums. For me classical music is quite restrictive - you have to stick to exactly what is written in the music. I grew up a bit and thought it is time to do something different."

But she added: "I've not completely betrayed my roots. I've always made sure it's always about the music really and image second."

And she insisted her raunchy new video was not made to shock. "I don't think it's too bad, it's nothing worse than what other girls are doing nowadays."
"I'm not exactly a shrinking violet."