Opera legend Lesley Garrett is considering retirement
Lesley Garrett could be heading for retirement.
The 70-year-old soprano has been a name in the world of opera for decades but is determined "quit while [she] is ahead" because her voice is "changing" as time goes on.
She told The Sunday Express: "I do think about
retiring because don't want to go on when I'm not as good as was.
"I want to quit while Im ahead, I don't
want to carry on past my sell by date. My voice is changing, as voices do. It's still beautiful in the middle, but I can't get as high as I used to. Every season I think could be my last."
"This one I seriously think could be my
last year, because I am 70 and it seems like
a very round number - I've been doing this
for exactly 45 years."
The former Strictly Come Dancing star - who has released eleven solo albums and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music and Carousel over the course of her career - recently revealed that she previously discovered a rare tumour that she worried could have spelled the end of her career.
She said: "They found by accident that I'd got a tumour on my thymus gland, which is a tiny gland which sits almost on top of your heart.
"At first I was told not to worry about it as they are so slow growing they are almost benign nut then a year later I noticed my voice wasn't working properly.
"I was worried that my singing career might be over - I was really quite scared.
"A lot of the nerves that given the larynx govern the same area."
Lesley went back for a second visit and it was then decided that the tumour should be removed.
She added: "So, I went back and they scanned me. During that yeat since my I still visit, they had reclassified the tumour and changed the advice. They thought I should
have it removed."
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The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Arise at last, Sir David: Beckham humbled by knighthood
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Beckham, who has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade, said in a statement: "Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. "To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career, and literally a boyhood dream come true." He had been on the verge of receiving a knighthood in the 2014 New Year's Honours list but HM Revenue and Customs placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. In 2021 it was reported that his finances had been cleared and he was eligible for a knighthood. The day before Beckham was given the honour, he was seen chatting with the King at a St James's Palace ceremony for the monarch's foundation, of which the retired footballer is an ambassador. Beckham, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, is a knight for his services to sport and to charity, having partnered with UNICEF and campaigned with Malaria No More, a charity working to eradicate the disease. Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, has been recognised for services to charity and music, having been a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000. "It's strange, it's an experience that I've never had before, I'm very humbled by it," the 81-year-old told PA. Daly, 56, who has co-presented Strictly since 2004, and Winkleman, 53, who fronts the hit reality TV show The Traitors, have been honoured for their services to broadcasting. Paige, 77, was also honoured for her services to charity and music, and told PA of her "shock" at being made a dame. "I've got all these different emotions coming at me all at once. I'm proud and I feel grateful and I'm thrilled and surprised, and so it's been quite a lot to take in," the West End legend said. Paige has presented her BBC Radio 2 show for more than 20 years and has senior roles at two charities - The Children's Trust, a charity for youngsters with acquired brain injury and The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, which supports disabled tennis players. Oldman, 67, who played Harry Potter's godfather Sirius Black in several of the movies in the fantasy franchise, was recognised for his services to drama. The Hollywood star won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the 2017 film Darkest Hour. The top gong goes to Antony Gormley, the sculptor behind the Angel of the North, who is made Companion of Honour for services to art. There are only 65 Companions of Honour at any one time. More than 1200 people from across the UK received honours in the latest list.
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Arise at last, Sir David: Beckham humbled by knighthood
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The Advertiser
12-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Here are two of Austria's hottest destinations - but which one's for you?
Look, I get it - Mozart is awesome and The Sound of Music is one of my favourite things. How can you not love a musical about a lovestruck nun, a Camilla-esque baroness and kids who Do-Re-Mi their way to humiliating Nazis? But arguing you have to go to Salzburg to appreciate Wolfgang and Julie is like saying Vienna is the only place you can have a schnitzel. Or tafelspitz, milchrahmstrudel, palatschinken, knodel or sachertorte, if you're really Austria hungry. If you can only appreciate the Von Trapps high on a hill with a lonely goatherd, or worse, if your schnitty has to have a geographical imperative, we're all stuffed like a frankfurter, or wurst.
