Fausto Xavier Aguilera - Facts about Christina Aguilera's Relationship with Her Father

Even though she values her Hispanic roots, singer Christina Aguilera has a problematic relationship with her father, Fausto Xavier Aguilera.

Singer Christina Aguilera is known for her fabulous voice, dynamic stage presence, and ability to move at ease between two worlds -- Pop and Latin music.

She owes her musical talent to her mother and her Latin roots to her father, Fausto Xavier Aguilera, who hugely influenced her. Still, their relationship hasn't been ideal.

Christina Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980, in Staten Island, New York City, to musician Shelly Loraine Fidler and the Equador-born Fausto Xavier Aguilera.

The singer/songwriter has spoken about the domestic violence she suffered at her father's hands as a child and revealed that she hadn't seen him since she was nineteen.

In 2012, she said that although she was sure he wasn't happy about what Christina had revealed about his behavior, she was willing to sit down with her father over lunch to come to terms with the past and achieve closure.

It has been over a decade since Christina expressed the desire to see her father again, but she revealed that he did write her a letter admitting his mistakes.

Fausto Xavier Aguilera Was a Military Man

Fausto Xavier Aguilera met Shelly in college, after which he became a soldier in the US Army and achieved the rank of sergeant. That meant he moved around often, and the family moved with him.

Despite the estrangement from her father, Christina has often expressed her pride in his defense of the United States and posted tributes to him and others like him. She posted photos of her father in uniform on Facebook, and wrote:

"Thank you to the men and women who have fought and sacrificed so much to keep our country safe."

Fausto Xavier Aguilera’s Family Broke Up

The relationship between Fausto and Shelly deteriorated, and their daughters were caught in the middle. Christina has spoken and sung about the fear and the pain she felt at being a victim of physical and emotional abuse at her father's hands.

And yet, when her mother remarried, Christina clung to her identity as Fausto's daughter and refused to let go of his name. She said:

"There was another time in my childhood when I was being asked to legally change my name to my stepfather's to be legally adopted, and I was again dead set against it. I've been fighting for my last name my whole life."

The breakup of her parents' marriage and their dysfunctional relationship has affected Christina profoundly and colored how she sees the men in her life. She said:

"My dad was very dominant with my mom, and I always knew I was never going to let a man take advantage of me like that."

She admitted that this motivated her and fueled her ambition: never to be financially or emotionally dependent on a man.

And it has also made Christina Aguilera determined that her children will never go through the pain she endured or witness the anger and violence she saw as a child.

Fausto Gave Christina Aguilera an Origin She Is Proud Of

Christina's mother, Shelly, is of Irish descent, and because her marriage to Fausto ended when Christina was just 11, she grew up with Irish culture. Nevertheless, Christina always remembered her Latin roots. She explained:

"I grew up in my early childhood hearing Spanish predominantly spoken in my home. My mom was fluent also, so I was surrounded by Latin music, Latin culture, and the language since I was a baby. It has always stayed close to my heart."

Christina Aguilera is considered one of her generation's most influential Latin musicians, and that is one part of Fausto Xavier Aguilera's legacy he can be proud of.