EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
CARLY PAOLI
FULL OF FESTIVE JOY, MEZZO-SOPRANO REFLECTS ON AN AMAZING CAREER THAT HAS SEEN HER SING TO PRINCE CHARLES
INTERVIEW: ROSALIND POWELL PHOTOS: NICKY JOHNSTON
When Carly Paoli wakes up on Christmas morning, she will be in the spectacular setting of Otterburn Castle, set in 32 acres of Northumberland countryside.
“It’s such a fantastic and beautiful place steeped in history,” says the mezzo-soprano, inviting hello! to the historic site, which is now a luxury hotel owned by her aunt. “We close the castle so it’s just our family, which is huge. And we know how to stock a fridge.”
Dating back to the 11th century, the castle has been the venue for many a festive celebration when the classical singer gathers with her extended Italian family, including 22 cousins. This year, however, as for many other families, it will be much quieter for Carly, 31, and her parents Paul and Tina, with whom she lives on a farm in Wiltshire.
The castle’s grand surroundings are in stark contrast to her modest upbringing in Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, where her dad, a former lorry driver, delivered coal and scrap metal. Carly and her older brother would often join him in the summer holidays, when they’d make a den in the back of his lorry and have picnics.