KATHERINE JENKINS has hit back at a newspaper columnist who mocked her for wearing make-up as she ran the London Marathon and suggested the Welsh singer's participation in the event was shrouded in a "thick fog of self-interest".
"Jenkins has always promoted herself with a well-drilled enthusiasm that even some others in the business might find startling," wrote the Daily Mail's Jan Moir. "For her, every public appearance is clearly an opportunity to sell herself - to promote and project brand Our Kath, no matter what the occasion."
Sunday's London Marathon was no exception, wrote Moir, who took umbrage at the 32-year-old singer's appearance, claiming that she wore "lashings of pink lip gloss, sooty false eyelashes and sweeping, coal black eyeliner". Moir also criticised Jenkins' decision to don sunglasses and diamond stud earrings, describing them as the affectations of a "fame-hungry" celebrity.
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Jenkins, who ran the 26.2 mile course in a respectable five hours and 26 minutes, raised £25,000 for the charity that supported her father as he was dying of cancer in 1996. She took to social media today to deliver a response to Moir that New Statesman described as "a supreme example of someone determinedly taking the high road".
"You can knock me all you like but you cannot take away from me what I know I accomplished last weekend," wrote Jenkins. "Next time you run a marathon Jan, I will be the first to sponsor you, because I know how much guts, hard work & determination it takes."
Jenkins pointed out that she had worn sunglasses because the sun was shining on Sunday and she insisted the only cosmetic on her face was some free Vaseline she put on her lips after it was given to runners by race organisers.
The war of words between Moir and Jenkins prompted an outpouring of support for the mezzo-soprano on social media sites. Jenkins was widely praised for delivering a "classy" response.
