SINGER Charlotte Church has reflected on the uncomfortable way she became sexualised in the media as a teenager – including DJ Chris Moyles’ offer to take her virginity when she was just 16.

In a new documentary called Kathy Burke: Growing Up, which aired on Channel 4 on Wednesday, the 37-year-old singer is interviewed by 58-year-old comedian Burke and speaks about being famous as a teenager and how she became “fair game” as soon as she turned 16, in February 2022.

Charlotte, who in May 2021 bought fashion mogul Laura Ashley’s former home, Rhydoldog House, just outside Rhayader, referred to the creation of a clock, counting down to her 16th birthday and marking the moment she would be over the age of consent, that was mistakenly reported as having been created by The Sun newspaper.

It was in fact created online by a prankster, but various newspapers then picked up on and reported.

Asked by Burke if reaching 16 and hitting puberty was when the media started writing about her differently, the mum-of-three said: “Yeah. There was this sort of shift where I became fair game."

Reminded of the countdown clock, which Burke incorrectly referred to as having been created by the tabloid, Charlotte said: “They (The Sun) have conveniently lost all records of that but it was definitely there because other media outlets picked up on it and Chris Moyles, on Radio 1, commented on it.”

In 2002, Moyles, then 28 and who was presenting BBC Radio 1’s drive-time show, offered to take the singer’s virginity, saying that he wanted to “lead her through the forest of sexuality now she had reached 16”.

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In 2006, on her own Channel 4 programme The Charlotte Church Show, Moyles tells Charlotte: “You were gonna be 16, and I offered to take your virginity.”

Addressing the toxic “lad” culture at the time and that still exists today, Charlotte added: “Of course it wasn’t good but at least it was out in the open.

“That ‘lads, lads, lads’ culture was dominant. It was very simplistic, it was unashamed and just out there and everybody knew what it was. But now it’s become a bit more underground and a bit more dangerous I feel.”

At the time of Moyles comments, the Broadcasting Standards Commission said the “explicit sexual content and humour had exceeded acceptable boundaries for the time of transmission”.

It upheld the complaint of a Radio 1 listener, who said the DJ’s remarks were inappropriate.