Katherine Jenkins

Katherine Jenkins (b. June 29, 1980) is a singer who has gained fame in both classical and pop music, thereby becoming what is termed a "crossover singer." Katherine Jenkins is Welsh-born and her albums have proven hugely successful. Six of her first seven albums reached number one in the classical music charts, for a total of four million albums sold. Jenkins' fifth album, Rejoice, was released in 2007, and beat out the Spice Girls in sales.

Jenkins is considered a mezzo-soprano in the musical world, and is fairly well-known in her native United Kingdom. In terms of her personal life, she dated British television presenter Gethin Jones for four years, and they became engaged in February 2011. However, within a year of the engagement, they announced the end of their relationship via Twitter.

Katherine Jenkins has also worked as a model, a music teacher, and won several awards while still an amateur. Katherine Jenkins is perhaps best known in the United States for her participation in the popular television show, Dancing With the Stars, in which she is paired with professional dancing partner Mark Ballas.

When Katherine Jenkins took the dance floor with her partner, Mark Ballas, on the 2012 premiere of the show, Dancing With the Stars, she was, for the most part, an unknown "star" to Americans. Her graceful waltz with Ballas, along with attaining the highest score of the evening, with 26 out of 30 possible points, propelled her to instant fame and acclaim in the United States.