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Privacy NoticeSinger Rick Astley couldn’t hold back the tears during a heartfelt recitation of his life story in front of an audience. Tugging at the heartstrings, he shared intimate details from his new autobiography, ‘Never’, as he tours the UK. The ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ hitmaker had a memorable evening at Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool where he opened up about his ‘unconventional’ upbringing and complex relationship with his family. Rick took a deep dive into his family roots, speaking on the loss of one sibling to meningitis sorrow he feels his parents could never move past, leading to their eventual split when he was just a tender five years old. Following the separation, he grew up primarily under the care of their father.
Ricky Astley was left in tears on stage
(Image: No credit)
He opened up about his father, telling the Liverpool Echo: “My dad had some issues with, probably, mental health. I think if he’d been diagnosed today he’d have gone in for treatment, and that wouldn’t be an issue today. But going back a generation there was no way he was going to do that.” The singer also spoke about the unpredictable moods of his dad, noting how “one minute he would be really happy, singing Frank Sinatra and whistling how life was great, and the next he would be unbelievably dark.” Chatting with broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake, 58 year old Rick got candid about seeking his family’s approval to recount their shared past within the pages of his book. Overwhelmed by emotion, Rick confessed: “I wouldn’t say I’ve been given a green light, but you know, it’s a difficult thing because it’s their story as well. But I think, when you see the videos of me when I was 21, sort of shuffling around – the kind of brightness of those videos and those songs, it’s kind of hard to believe I was raised the way I was.”
Rick Astley rose to fame with his hit single Never Gonna Give You Up
(Image: Getty)
He didn’t shy away from discussing school life either, revealing: “In the summer holidays it was great, but the minute you had to go back to school, and there’s someone shouting from the back of the class ‘Miss, Rick Astley lives in a tin hut’, it’s a bit embarrassing to say the least.” Yet through all the challenges, Rick discussed the complex love he still felt towards his father amidst the tumultuous times. “I actually think if he was a pure b****** all the time it would have been easier to deal with, but the fact that he really loved us and showed us that as well was what was really psychologically hard to get your head around.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnIn the NewsNostalgia
