This Xmas Hitmaker Hid Relationship from ‘Authoritarian’ Parents & When Partner Died, Mom Was His Main Supporter

• This pop star had a "dysfunctional" childhood because of his parents.
• He hid things from them and only revealed one of his biggest secrets when he was an adult.
• The Hollywood star tragically lost a partner.

This global superstar had a traumatic and abnormal childhood because of his parents, especially his father, who was his biggest critic. He could not be himself and hid secrets from his parents as an adult.

The award-winning pop star was born on June 25, 1963, to parents Lesley and Kyriacos in East Finchley, London, England. He was born into a middle-class family.

"My mother and father had a fish and chip shop, and I think by the time I was about one and a half, we'd done better. We were living above the laundrette then," the public figure once revealed.

When he was fairly young, his parents were struggling. This made Lesley and Kyriacos, whose son said they were often fatigued, work even harder to get to where they wanted to be. "But that made them authoritarian," he divulged.

By the time he was 12 or 13, their family life had improved as they lived in a spacious home in the suburbs, he explained. Irrespective of life progressing, he never took anything for granted because his dad was strict with his money.

This celebrity's father emigrated to England from Cyprus, where he found success. Kyriacos and Lesley worked tirelessly to better their lives. "Work was their religion," their son revealed in a February 2009 interview.

However, Kyriacos was not a gentle parent as he was described as a terrifying individual. This heavily affected his son growing up. An acclaimed music biographer, James Gavin, once revealed this about the beloved singer's dad, saying:

"His father had the gender views that men of his generation had, and he had the homophobia that was typical of men of his era."

James further explained that Kyriacos, whose son was secretly gay, expressed his views in an offensive manner. Meanwhile, his wife Lesley was the opposite, as she was known to be warm-hearted as a spouse and mother.

Still, she also had outbursts about how they made a living before their life changed for the better. As a mom of two at the time, her son recalled her being bitterly upset about having to work in a chip shop because she was a neat freak and could not stand failing to get rid of the smell of fish from her hair or her skin.

Apart from that, the couple's son used to miss school on purpose as a child. He would ride buses because he wanted to get away from everyone else. The future star admitted that he was "terribly depressed" but could not recall what he was sad about.

He remembered thinking that one day, no one would be able to touch him, and he would be able to isolate himself from everyone in one way or another. This star once recalled that his parents were cold toward him:

"I was never praised, never held."

In addition to that, his father believed his dream of becoming a singer was foolish. Kyriacos even told his son— who figured his songwriting gift early on—that he could not sing and was untalented.

But the young boy decided to turn this into an advantage later in life. He used his father's opposition as a tool to find success in the music industry, adding:

"I subconsciously fought him to the degree that I drove me to be one of the most successful musicians in the world."

This music star went on to become a Christmas hitmaker, known for his song, "Last Christmas," from his pop duo group Wham!, garnering over 700 million views on YouTube to date. In addition, he reached platinum status and scored a duet with veteran singer Aretha Franklin.

Ultimately, it worked; he attained success, and his father started to respect him more once he reached superstardom and became wealthy. According to him, his dad showed remorse for how he treated him growing up.

Who Is This Musician Who Hid His Relationship from His Parents

The songwriter who had a difficult childhood was George Michael. The Grammy Award winner reflected on his upbringing once, saying it was when he was in his twenties that he realized how "dysfunctional" his childhood was.

Former Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell revealed that the trauma he endured as a child followed him into adulthood and even affected his career.

While Simon said the past fueled George's creativity, it also destroyed him on the inside. He even suffered panic attacks before going on stage in his 20s.

It was also during his thriving career that he met his boyfriend, Anselmo Feleppa, at his concert in Brazil at Rock in Rio in 1991. Anselmo was a Brazilian fashion designer whom he spotted while performing on stage, and he was instantly attracted to him.

While he tried to avoid him, Anselmo went to his dressing room after, and they connected. George, who hid and fought his sexuality for the longest time, once gushed that Anselmo changed his life because of him; he let his walls down and became free-spirited:

"He was the first person I had ever loved, and I discovered he loved me too."

However, things drastically changed six months into their relationship. Anselmo learned that his blood was infected with the HIV virus. This was worrisome for George, who feared that he had contracted the disease.

He dealt with the news alone because his family did not even know that he was gay at that point. Anselmo's health worsened as his brain hemorrhaged, and the day after that happened, George came out to his parents. He recounted:

"They didn't even know he existed. The thing that really killed my mum was the idea that I had gone through that without anybody."

Anselmo, Lesley & George's Deaths

Anselmo died in 1993, and Michael's relationship with his mother strengthened from there on. Like her husband, who was homophobic, Lesley was also opinionated about gay people.

But after her son lost his love, she supported him more than ever and showed him love. No matter where he was, she would go to his house and do his laundry, including housekeeping. Lesley showed her famous son that he was loved, cared for, and accepted.

The doting mother passed away from cancer in 1997, leaving her son shattered for the second time after losing Anselmo. He felt like the universe was against him following their deaths.

On Christmas day in 2016, George sadly died at age 53. His family announced his demise in a statement, revealing he passed away "peacefully" at his home. The English native's publicist later disclosed that he died of heart failure.