KRISTIN CHENOWETH: I'm So GRATEFUL

The Tony-and Emmy-winning star of Schmigadoon! shares her journey

- Fortune Benatar

On stage, in films and on TV, Kristin Chenoweth is a powerhouse performer with an ability to make audiences laugh, cry and stand up and cheer. It’s hard to believe that the star, who originated the role of Glinda the Good on Broadway in Wicked, appeared on The West Wing, Glee and most recently Schmigadoon!, spent decades living with chronic migraine headaches. “I was about 25 when they started for me,” Kristin tells Closer. “I was singing at a solo symphony concert, and at intermission, I was throwing up. It was like a tornado in my head.”

As Kristin’s migraines became more intense and more frequent, they threatened to destroy the Tony and Emmy winner’s career. “I was at my wit’s end. I was facing not being able to do what I love,” says Kristin, 54, who finally found relief through Botox injections. “It’s fantastic because I really was looking at an early retirement.”

How did your childhood prepare you for your career in show business?

I was adopted, and my parents are chemical engineers —they got this alien child! I don’t do math or science, so it was fun actually to grow up with such different parents. They heard me singing in my bed in kindergarten. They were like, “Is it us or is she pretty good?” They kind of didn’t know how to help me, but they let me have my dream. If I wanted to take piano lessons, ballet, they worked and saved and allowed me to do that.

So your family was always supportive?