Westenra finds love in France - report

Soprano Hayley Westenra. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra - known as a "Forces Sweetheart" because of her concerts for soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq - has revealed she has found love closer to her current home in Britain.

"I have a lovely boyfriend, who I met in London," she told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"He's French. I've done very well for myself. I'm learning French, with lessons from one of his friends."

Westenra, 23, due to fly to Afghanistan later this year to entertain troops, declined to disclose the name of her lover.

"His English is great," she added. "It's really easy to be lazy and not to learn, but I really want to, particularly when I go to France and I hang out with his relatives who don't speak a word of English."

- NZPA