Could Kate Winslet be Christmas number 1? Her nostalgic noughties song is having a resurgence

If Kate Winslet's dedicated fans get their way, the star could climb to the top of the Christmas charts this year with a song that's "haunted" her for decades.

Although the actress isn't known for her vocal talents, she once performed the song What If for the soundtrack of the 2001 film, Christmas Carol: The Movie.

The song peaked at number six the UK Singles Chart upon its release. Fast forward 24 years and a campaign has emerged to get the song to Christmas number 1 for 2025.

It has to be said, However, that Kate herself isn't behind the campaign, and would rather the song disappear into a music black hole, never to be heard again.

Kate Winslet - What If - Official Music Video - YouTube

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Revealing her true feelings about the song in conversation with Greg James in 2017, Kate remarked, "I really do hate you," when the Radio 1 DJ made reference to her time in the charts.

During a conversation to promote her film The Mountain Between Us, Kate couldn't be more horrified when Greg made played a clip of What If. Explaining her thoughts further, Kate recalled that when originally asked to provide vocals for the song, she told producers she'd "have a go."

She believed her voice would be found lacking and a professional would be brought in to provide the final version of the song. Far from the case, the star was shocked to find the song released as a single and making its way into the top 10.

While Greg played the lengthy clip of her singing, Kate covered her face with her hands, repeatedly asking him to "turn it off!."

"This is the kind of s**t my husband does to me, just for a laugh when we’re on family holidays, and I least want him to do it," she says, adding that the song is often played when staff see her in restaurants, believing she'd like to hear it.

Despite her misgivings about sharing her vocal talents, Kate did reveal that she didn't want anyone to make money from the song, and wanted any proceeds from the release of What If to go to children's charities.

However, she recalls the charitable aspect wasn't made clear enough at the time, and everyone was saying, "Kate Winslet is launching a singing career," which she didn't want to be the case.

Thanks to social media platforms such as TikTok, it appears Kate will never escape the song. It's made yet another resurgence, with fans sharing videos of themselves lip-syncing to it online.

With its popularity soaring once again and What If being found by a new generation, the campaign for it to make it to Christmas number 1 is gathering pace.

Commenting on YouTube, one fan wrote, "Let's get Kate to number 1 on Christmas Day!," while another added, "Poised for number 1 Christmas 2025."

Another commenter simply said, "We will get this to Christmas number 1."

Kate might not be happy to see the song back in the public eye, but she did say any continued profits from it will still go to charity.

Time will tell whether the power of social media will finally see a reluctant Kate hit the number 1 spot this Christmas.