You said recently that those are the kind of things you want to bring your kids on set to. You don’t want to take them on a harrowing drama…

In Country Strong (released in March) the kids were on set and my character had to kill herself at one point, so I had to keep popping up between takes going, “Oh hi guys! [enthusiastically]”. It was crazy. But on Glee they love to come and watch all the singing and dancing and they love all the kids on the show.

A lot of Stylist readers will have defined their career paths at this point. Did you ever feel a pressure to just stick at what you were doing?

I don’t think any of us have to be one thing, y’know. I’m embracing all this new stuff because I feel like we only live one time and everyone has things they want to try and are scared to try. People should feel like ‘F**k it, let me have a try and see’. I think that I’ve scared myself and inspired myself in the risks that I’ve taken in the last year and it’s made me feel like ‘What a great thing to do’. Even if you fail or people don’t like it at first, it’s important to feel like you’re following your passion. You should do something to make yourself feel fulfilled and happy.

Which of the risks you’ve taken has scared you the most?

I think my first live performance at the Country Music Awards [in November 2010] was the scariest because it’s really not my world. Of course I was doing it for promotion for the movie [Country Strong] and the soundtrack and everything but I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, why did I say yes to this?’ I was nervous and most people start singing in front of people in a pub on the corner, not at the CMAs. That was the most intimidating thing for me.

Did it feel like you were going from karaoke to professional singer in a heartbeat?

Yes, although thankfully nobody has paid to see me yet so I don’t have that added pressure [laughs].

Who do you turn to when you feel nervous?

I actually rely a lot on my girlfriend singers, like Beyoncé and Faith Hill, who completely got me through the Country Music Awards. [Hill and her husband Tim McGraw] helped me with the sound and gave me so many tips; I was staying at their house and they just fed me and looked after me. And it was Beyoncé who totally got me through the Grammys with all of her help and advice. I’m very lucky to have friends like that, who number one are amazing friends but also singers who are the best in the world and know how to do it.

So they gave you a bit of a crash course in how to perform?

Before I went on at the Grammys I had Beyoncé in my dressing room and she was just like, “You just have to have fun and let go”. She was like, “You know when we’re just backstage at a Jay concert and you’re just dancing and having fun? Do that. And don’t think about it, just have a great time.” She totally got me through it; she knew what to say and I was like, “You know what? F**k it, I’m just gonna have fun”. And I did. It was really great [laughs]. I had to have a Guinness and a beta blocker before I went on but that was OK.

A Guinness?

Yes, that’s what I always have now before a live performance; a pint of Guinness and a beta blocker.

Who taught you that?

I taught myself [laughs]. I discovered it a while ago when I had a friend who got married in Ireland and I’ve been [in London] for eight years now so it was probably a decade ago that I started drinking it. I love it; it’s my favourite beer. The first time I had a real Guinness I was like, “This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever had in my life.” It was a love affair from then on.

What else do you love about the UK?

We’ve had some really nice holidays. I love the coast but also the country – I think the English countryside is the most beautiful in the world, especially in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. We went to the New Forest last summer and it was beautiful; you know bike rides and the seaside, hiking, fish and chips, I love it all.

Are you a beach bum or activity obsessive?

I’m totally a beach bum on holiday. I used to zone out but now I have little kids I try to snatch moments on the lounger. And then you have to go and make sandcastles and go in the ocean, which is also great. I’m pretty relaxed in the evening too – flip-flops all the way.

What are your other favourite destinations?

Maybe Hawaii. I went when I was 10 for the first time for my dad’s 40th birthday and been back twice since. It’s a spectacular-looking set of islands with an amazing natural landscape with waterfalls and black lava sand beaches. Between my work and my husband’s work we’ve visited a lot of countries – probably every continent except Antarctica.

Which of those places holds the most sentimental memories for you?

Aspen, Colorado, where we went every year growing up as a family for skiing at Christmas. It makes me think of log fires and just getting all cosy.

Given your foodie credentials do you book the restaurants when you’re travelling?

I’ll leave that to chance because I kind of like to find out from the locals what’s great.

Words: Megan Connor. Picture Credit: Getty Images

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