London - With a new record deal and a handful of chart-topping albums under her belt, you might think singer Katherine Jenkins would sleep soundly at night.
But the 33-year-old has revealed that she suffers from an unusual condition that can disrupt slumber – she always sleeps with her eyes open.
The Welsh mezzo-soprano has struggled with nocturnal lagophthalmos ever since she was a child, a problem that stops people fully closing their eyes when they sleep.
The affliction, which is thought to affect up to 10 percent of the population, is described by doctors as a form of facial paralysis and can make the eyes dry, irritated and damaged.
This is because sufferers produce fewer tears to wash away debris like dust and bacteria, which leads to them experiencing blurred vision and makes them prone to picking up frequent eye infections.
The cause of the condition is still unknown, but it tends to be aggravated by infections and any traumas to the eye as well as strokes.
Solutions include strapping the eye shut by laying an adhesive dressing strip vertically from the upper eyelid to the cheek.
Eye patches and eye masks can also be used to force the eyelids to stay closed at night.
Jenkins revealed that she was a sufferer after recalling an anecdote about how she was once complimented on her eyes by an admirer.
She said: “The best chat up line to ever come my way is ‘Was you father a thief because he must have stolen the stars from the skies and put them in your eyes?’”
She then went on to say: “Speaking of which I always sleep with my eyes open because my eyes don’t close properly.
“They are always at least half open – and when I go to sleep I look like I’m still awake.
“My Mom would always have to say to me, ‘Katherine, are you awake or are you asleep?’”
The classical music star, whose record-breaking first album Premiere became the fastest-selling classical CD of all time, also explained that the affliction was not her only unusual nocturnal habit, adding: “I don’t really have dreams either.”
Last month it was revealed that Jenkins had been offered a cut-price recording contract after her former record company dropped her from what was the biggest classical music deal in Britain.
She made the decision to sign up with the Universal-owned Decca label after her lucrative £5.8-million, three-album deal with Warner Music came to an end earlier this year.
The singer, who has just returned from Abu Dhabi, is planning to entertain troops over the coming months with a series of concerts.
She will then return home to the UK for Christmas where she is booked in to perform at the Royal Albert Hall on December 9. - Daily Mail