‘X Factor’s Jack Walton on gay mum: ‘I got a lot of stick for it’
By Sam Rigby
The X Factor
‘s Jack Walton has admitted that he “got a lot of stick” when his friends found out about his mother’s sexuality.
The singer said that it was “a lot to take in” when his mother, Rachel, left father, Robin, for another woman.
Speaking to the Mirror, the 18-year-old said: “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. I wasn’t ashamed of anything. I just wanted to tell other people.”
Walton added that his mother’s sexuality was a problem for some of the girls he was attracted to in recent years.
He explained: “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’.”
Take a look at our Jack Walton picture special, featuring hot pictures of the X Factor star, here.