X Factor star Talks about mom leaving dad for a woman
He's the X Factor star who plucked the nation’s heart strings with his guitar-filled tunes and is even being backed by One Direction to win the show.
But today contestant Jack Walton opens up to 3am about his secret torment after his mum left his dad for woman.
The 18-year-old singer – who is from the mining town of Castleford in Yorkshire – was only 11 when his mum Rachel had an affair with a woman she met at work, leaving dad Robin heartbroken.
Since then Jack has spent most of his adult life living with his mum and step mum Jackie.
But he admits he initially got a lot of stick from friends and says: “It was a lot to take in when it all came out.
“She was still married to my dad then. It was hard to see that. My dad was heartbroken.
“Plus I was 11 when I found out and I got a lot of stick for it. All my mates were saying ‘Oh, that’s gay’, and I’d say, ‘Don’t say that about my mum’.
“I tried to explain to them what it’s like. And I’d say, ‘If it was your mum, how would you feel?’
“You can’t disown your mum. If she is happy, that’s the main thing.”
He also recalls the moment when he asked her if she was a lesbian.
He says: “When I asked if she, she said, ‘I’m whatever you want to call me, but I’m in love with Jackie’.
“So I suppose that sums it up. I wasn’t ashamed of anything. I just wanted to tell other people.”
But Jack says at the time he even used to get knocked back by girls who didn’t like the fact that his mum was gay.
He explains: “I’ve had a couple of girls say, ‘I’d love to go out with him, but it puts me off that his mum is a lesbian’.
“This girl I really liked, she came to my house, and she found out about my mum and said, ‘Look, I can’t do this because it makes me uncomfortable’.”
But the rising pop star is relieved that his parents still get on.
And while he hasn’t always believed in himself, Jack is hoping to leave the X Factor with a number one single.
He says: “I wasn’t going to go for my audition to be honest, I pretended my car broke down because I didn’t want to go.
“I had a massive self-belief problem at first.
“But I’m very happy to be here now and I’d really love one of my own songs that I’ve written to be a big hit.
“That’s my ultimate life goal, having a hit single.”
You can find all of his music, including some pre X-Factor stuff here.
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