'Never give up on your dreams - you never know where you'll end up'

Charlotte Hawkins on feeling festive, life in the Early Risers' Club and why daughter Ella Rose is following in her footsteps

- YASMIN VINCE

Think of Christmas (it’s not that far off, actually)... Tinsel on the tree, twinkling lights in the high street and enough mince pies doing the rounds to feed a small country. For some, the festive season starts as soon as Halloween’s over. For others, it won’t truly begin until they’ve seen André Rieu’s Christmas concert at the cinema, hosted by Good Morning Britain favourite Charlotte Hawkins.

Charlotte, 50, a long-time classical music lover, has been working with world-renowned Dutch violinist and conductor André, 76, for many years now - but admits she’s still in total awe at his ability to pull together such an amazing concert every time.

“I think he is just a genius at pulling together so many different and special performers and making such a wonderful, huge, massive, magnificent show,” she tells us in an exclusive interview.

“His music has the power to move people and to reach out of the screen. Not only is he iconic, he’s an amazing musician that I’m lucky enough to see in action. I’m just in awe of him every time I see him.”

During the showstopping concert, André and his performers will play his pieces along with a host of festive favourites, from All I Want For Christmas Is You to O Come All Ye Faithful.

All recorded from a concert hall in Maastricht (which Charlotte refers to fondly as a “winter wonderland”), it’ll be screened in over 500 cinemas across the United Kingdom on 6 and 7 December, allowing fans to get their festive fix.

“I always think there’s something really special about actually listening to live Christmas music,” Charlotte explains when asked why she loves getting to host the show for UK audiences. “It really gets you in that festive feel.”