Tenor Russell Watson, 59, went from working on a factory production line to becoming the UK's bestselling classical-pop crossover singer, writes Dan Moore.His enduring popularity has helped him sell more than seven million records, starting with his US and UK chart-topping album The Voice in 2000.The four-time recipient of a classical Brit Award, Russell's big break came when he was invited to perform at Old Trafford, at his beloved Manchester United's last game of the season in 1999. They then invited him to sing at the Champions League final.A father of two daughters, he lives in rural Cheshire with his second wife Louise.What did your parents teach you about money?My dad, Tim, was a welder and my mother, Nola, worked in Woolworths before she had my sister and me.We didn't have much, but us children were shielded from any money worries. Sound bloke: Russell's enduring popularity has helped him sell more than seven million records, starting with his US and UK chart-topping album The Voice in 2000About the closest I got to being aware of it was around my birthday, November 24. Being pretty close to Christmas, I often heard the words: 'If you want a big present, you can have it as a joint birthday and Christmas present,' which was fine.Don't let money issues spill over into family life. That was the lesson.What was your first job?After leaving school in the mid-1980s, I did a year at college, studying engineering on a Youth Training Scheme.It paid a grand total of £25-a- week, most of which went on bus fares. From there I went to Sabre Repetition. The clue was in the name as it was the singularly most boring job around, working on a never-ending production line, hammering bolts on 12-hour shifts for six or seven years.It paid about £90 a week.How did your singing career start?I was having a few beers with some mates in a Salford pub called the Railway Inn.There was a competition on called Search For A Star, and my mates egged me on, so I sang a song on stage. At the end of the night, by which time I'd half forgotten about it, someone got on the microphone to announce the winner. It was me.This got me into a semi-final, and then the final, which was live on Piccadilly Radio, and I won.The next thing I knew, I quit the factory and signed with a local agent, Dave Oakfield, initially for £55-a-gig, minus his 7 per cent cut.That was 1990, and I kept working the clubs and pubs until the first album came out and hit the number one spot in 2000. Getting shirty: Russell's big break came when he was invited to perform at Old TraffordDid you ever struggle to make ends meet?Yes, during the mid-1990s recession when interest rates went ballistic and our mortgage rate rocketed to 16.5 per cent, meaning the mortgage quadrupled to £420 a month. Every penny I earned after food, gas and water went on the mortgage.To make matters worse, the work dried up because people couldn't afford to go out. I went from doing three or four gigs a week at £75 a go to one, if I was lucky.What has been your most successful year?They've all been pretty good, pretty steady, apart from when I couldn't work because of the recession, the brain tumours [Russell battled them twice, in 2006 and 2007], and during the pandemic. But one stands out.I was struggling to get work and pay the mortgage, owed £9,000 on finance, and with ten or 11 county court judgments against me, I regularly had the bailiff knocking at my door.Then my first record deal came through in 1999, worth about £100,000, so I was able to walk into the bailiff's office with a cheque for the lot.Have you ever been paid silly money for a gig?There have been a couple where I've thought the pay was very impressive, but the tours are where I earn my money and matter most.What's the most expensive thing you've bought for fun?A McLaren 650S, for £250,000. It's fantastic. I've had it for ten years now and, although I've contemplated selling it a few times, I can't bring myself to part with it. I've only done about 7,500 miles because I mainly take it out if we have someone round who asks for a spin in it.What's been your best decision?Without question, that would be purchasing my house in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in 2008. I sold it three or four years ago because it had risen in value quite a bit, and bought a farm outside Congleton, also in Cheshire, that overlooks a tapestry of beautiful, endless green fields and Bosley Cloud.Our daughters, Rebecca and Hannah, may have moved out but it's hardly quiet.We have four dogs, two cats and one parrot in the house.Outside there are goats, sheep, alpacas, horses, chickens and we've even got an ostrich!Do you own any other property?No. We're always on the edge of thinking about whether to get something else. But for everyone we know who has bought a second property and it's been successful, we know others who say don't do it, it's a pain.Are you a spender or a saver?I always remember my gran saying, don't save up too much, enjoy it while you've got your youth. That's a philosophy I've lived by, although I've been around long enough to ensure my assets are protected and I have a pension.Did the tumours change your attitude to money?I'd always wanted an Aston Martin DB7 because I'm a massive James Bond fan. Yet I'd never bought one because I felt I'd be rubbing it in people's faces. The brain tumours changed that.After the first one was removed, only to grow back at a rapid rate of knots and haemorrhage, resulting in emergency surgery followed by 25 treatments of radiotherapy, I bought a DB7.It sat on the driveway for the best part of a year, as an encouragement, until I felt well enough and I had passed the eye tests.I had nearly died, so I did treat myself but, in general, my attitude to money didn't change.What's your number one financial priority?Maintaining what I have right now. If work dropped off and I had to sell my property and the couple of cars I've got, providing I have the people around me who I love, I'd be happy in a two-up, two-down, like where I came from.Tickets for Russell Watson An Intimate Evening with 'The Voice', are available at awaywith media.com/tours/russell-watson