Russell Watson coming to the Isle of Wight for Christmas show

"I love the Isle of Wight, it's beautiful and I have been there a few times," he told the County Press this week.

"One of the things I love about it is it's so peaceful and quiet, and you don't have the ridiculous influx of traffic. It's so green and colourful, it's beautiful.

"It's funny really because as a kid, when I heard about the Isle of Wight, in my head it was the Isle of White and everything would be white, such as the white cliffs. The perception of a child!"

Russell's tour is taking him around cathedrals and other impressive buildings of the UK, which is how he ended up with Ryde All Saints Church as one of the tour dates.

He sings there on December 16 and tickets are available at russellwatson.com

"These types of location lend themselves to sacred arias such as Ave Maria, and some of my favourite hymns such as Abide With Me, and it's the Christmas period and it wouldn't be Christmas without throwing in some Christmas songs."

He finishes his tour not long after his Ryde date, and by then he will be looking forward to some family time, closing the door and relaxing.

He said he can get quite reflective at that time of year and doesn't mind the opportunity to opportunity to "wallow" and contemplate and get quite melancholy. It's all about remembering loved ones such as his grandparents, and making the most of the family he has around him. 

It will be quite the departure from life on tour, where he revels in being on stage, and having the opportunity to do what he loves for a living.

"I was born to sing," he enthused.

"I love singing, it's what I do. On stage I feel relaxed and I don't feel trepidation or get nervous. The only time I do, is if I have a sore throat or something, but if I'm fully fit I just love it.

"The audience can feel that it's something that means a lot to me, and I want to send them away feeling like they have been entertained."

Russell isn't your typical classical performer, having spent ten years "schlepping around working men's clubs in the north of England" perfecting his trade.

It was this grounding that convinced him that classical and opera music wasn't just something that was enjoyed by the rich - it had a wider appeal.

"I did thousands of shows and learnt a lot about entertaining people. It was classical and they loved it, they were going crazy for it as they had never been exposed to it before. I genuinely believed there was an audience for it."

And so began Russell's high-profile career.

His first album went to number one in the classical charts and stayed there for 52 weeks, only getting knocked off by his own second album. 

These days, he retains his hardcore fan base but is also more widely known thanks to TV appearances on high profile shows such as I'm a Celebrity and The Masked Singer.

His unique voice has earned him numerous awards and accolades including four Classical Brit awards, and he has performed for Queen Elizabeth and The Pope.

The world-renowned tenor will be performing a selection of his most loved hits from his illustrious career. 

Tickets are available now.