Whichever way you look at it, this has been a sink-or-swim year for screen favourite Kate Winslet. Amid a storm of media interest, the Titanic star saw her watertight marriage to Jim Threapleton, with whom she has a baby, Mia, sink without trace this autumn. She reinvented herself when the once-voluptuous Kate shed excess pounds and a new slimline version emerged to rave reviews for her part in movie Enigma.

Rumours were rife about Kate's relationship with her co-star Dougray Scott, but they were rapidly dismissed by the 25-year-old actress.

Now the English rose is preparing to take the music world by storm, with the release of her first-ever single, What If. The moving ballad, which goes on sale on Monday, was recorded for the forthcoming animation, A Christmas Carol: The Movie, in which Kate voices Belle. The song is already tipped as a runner for the Christmas number One spot and, if previous festive winners are anything to go by, has a good chance of pipping other contenders to the post.

It's Christmas time, mistletoe and wine etc, but rather than recalling Christmas cheer, Kate sings about happier times with her lover and mourns the end of their relationship. For the video she dons a long black coat and wanders aimlessly around a house.

Some may say the lyrics, which include the lines: 'What if I had stayed and tried' and 'If we could only turn back time' can only refer to Ms Winslet's real life romance...

Special thanks to Allan for scanning the article and pics!