Carrie Underwood, seen here performing Yakima, Wash., just finished the C2C: Country to Country Music Festival in England. TJ MULLINAX/Yakima Herald-Republic/AP Photo
Oklahoma's country music superstar Carrie Underwood showed the British press that she's just as down to earth as she was before she won "American Idol" and all those music awards.
The Grammy winner talked to Britain's guardian.co.uk.com all about separation anxiety in cows, being a vegan, her driving and how she celebrated her 30th birthday.
In the interview, given before her performance at the recent C2C: Country to Country Festival, she told the website she doesn't eat meat because the cows "would cry for each other for a couple of days" after part of the herd is taken off to sell and that she made the decision to give it up after seeing a bull castrated.
"That's when I stopped eating red meat," she said. "Growing up where I grew up it was hard to cut out meat altogether. It was really when I moved away and I was doing my own shopping that I could go vegetarian."
But, if she had to choose between never eating red meat and never singing again?
"Oh no. One beefburger?" said the multi-nominated singer who will perform on the Academy of Country Music Awards April 7 on CBS. "I don't know. I can't imagine myself ever being put in that situation.
"Can it just be a bite? Maybe I could do that. Maybe. But I'd feel really bad about it."
The country music superstar, who turned down a record deal with Capitol Records at age 14, admitted that she doesn't have to say "Jesus Take the Wheel" when she's driving.
"Um, I, yes," she said. "Am I good driver? No. I've never had … knock on wood… knock on something … I've never had a wreck but I kind of bump into things a lot. My husband has had backup cameras installed on my car. I had to get him to replace the bumper because I backed into a telephone pole.
"I'm that kind of driver."
She's also practical kidn fo person who told the website she turned down the use of a private jet after winning "American Idol" in 2005 for good reason.
"At the time, because even when you're on a show like that it's not like I had money all of a sudden, and a lot of times when someone gives you a gift of that magnitude you have to pay taxes on it.
"I didn't have the money to pay taxes on a jet, so I was like, 'I'm good, thanks.'"
On Sunday, she celebrated what she called "the first anniversary of her 29th birthday.”
"It just sounds so weird to say I'm 30," she said. "I don't feel old or that I think being 30 is old, it's just weird to say. I don't like saying I'm in my 30s. I'm 29 and 367 days old."
She also celebrated the day without a big party.
"I actually ended up taking care of my husband (pro hockey player Mike Fisher) who wasn't feeling well,” said Underwood, in the interview.
"I spent my 30th birthday eating cake by myself."
Here she is being interviewed in England. To read the rest of the interview go online to
tulsaworld.com/underwoodc2c
