Helena Bonham Carter: playing classical music to my unborn children during pregnancy made them 'unbelievably clever'

28 March 2015, 00:01 | Updated: 30 March 2015, 09:32

Actress says listening to Mozart and violin concertos had a profound effect on her unborn children.

The British actress, who is currently appearing as the Fairy Godmother in Disney's new live-action version of Cinderella, is a big fan of classical music – for its calming influence.

When she was pregnant with her two children, Bonham Carter says she made use of the Tomatis Method, based on a theory that information coming into the foetus's ear guides the development of the brain.

"I basically played Mozart and violin concertos again and again because it stimulated the inner ear of the unborn baby," she says on this week's edition of Charlotte Green's Culture Club, (Sunday 29 March, 3pm). 

"And everything that they promised happened to both my children. They came out alert, unbelievably clever, and very relaxed."

Listen to a preview of Helena Bonham Carter's interview with Charlotte Green >

"I love classical music," Bonham Carter tells Charlotte Green. "In fact I often listen to Classic FM. It's the soundtrack to my daily life because I find it really genuinely de-stresses, and I feel it can be a genuine healthy drug." 

The actress's eclectic taste in music ranges from the Baroque – "Bach's piano preludes for just getting a sense of equilibrium" – to Edith Piaf and American folk rock band, The Lumineers. 

She is also passionate about film scores. "I love Patrick Doyle's music," she says of the composer of the score for Cinderella. "He's so great at finding a simple melody."

Hear Helena Bonham Carter and Cinderella director Kenneth Branagh in conversation with Charlotte Green on Charlotte Green's Culture Club, Sunday 29 March at 3pm. Find out more here >