Charlotte Church; Too Much Too Soon? (VIDEOS)

Do you remember Charlotte Church?12 or so years ago, the then-13-year-old was amazing the world of classical music with her incredibly mature voice. Yesterday, a now-25-year-old Church told a cautionary tale to the British committee investigating Press abuses in the UK. It's a story any parent of a prodigy should hear.

Church blamed the British press for ruining her career. She noted thast her loss of privacy from the phone hacking at the base of the inquiry made it impossivble for her being taken seriously. But she noted that her managers also had a hand in her fall from credibility. Here's a clip from her testimony, where she talks about a very bad deal made by her handlers:

[Showbiz411/ITV, via YouTube]

Ironically, Church was blaming family and friends for leaking intimate details about her life, when it now seems that phone hacking by British newspapers was more likely to blame.

Church is just part of a parade of celebrities and average citizens whose lives had become newsworthy testifying before the committee. The investigation is continuing, and will probably not produce a final report until next year.

It's always a difficult choice the parents of talented children have; do you let them explore their talent, or is better to hold them back until they are more aware of the pitfalls they could face? How would you choose, if you had to? Let us know, either here or on our Facebook page.

(AP/via Yahoo! News)