Darren Hayes: My dad was the first person to insult me for being gay
msn.comDarren Hayes says his father was the first person to insult him for being gay. The 50-year-old pop star - who has been married to Richard Cullen since 2013 and was previously married to Colby Taylor - explained that his childhood was "traumatising" because his father was a "violent alcoholic" who would beat his mum and "insult him" about his homosexuality.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "My experience was so traumatising. I had a father who was a violent alcoholic and he used to beat my mum and I was a really sensitive little kid.
He was the first person to call me a gay slur and he called me the F word. The former Savage Garden star went on to explain that his maternal grandmother had taken her own life and yet his own mother - who grew up "dirt poor" and lived in a tent - continues to be a "source of love" and is the reason he was able to pursue a career in show business.
He said: "And my mother’s mother – my grandma – committed suicide at the age of 49. And yet my mother is a source of love. She is so positive and so loving and everything I know about forgiveness and kindness comes from her. "But she grew up in a tent.
