We know it take courage to take the stage every week, but now we realise the true bravery of X Factor star Jahmene Douglas.
The singing sensation has decided to talk openly about the tragic suicide of his brother and the horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.
Warning: This article does make for upsetting reading.
Jahmene has revealed that he was just 15 years of age when he tried to take his own life after suffering years of abuse at the hands of his violent father, Eustace, but his big brother Daniel prevented him from going through with it.
“Daniel was an inspiration to me on so many levels,” says the 21-year-old singer. “He was an amazing person, who excelled at everything he did,” Jahmene tells The Sunday Mirror.
“When things were at their worst with dad, talking to him helped me escape mentally. We kept each other going. Then, when I was at my very lowest he was there for me. He literally saved my life. He told me I had something to live for because my family loved me so much.
“I couldn’t see a way out so I locked myself in the bathroom and tried to take a load of pills. But Daniel smashed through the door and said ‘are you being stupid, do you know how much we all love you?’. He saved my life that day.”
Jahmene has also spoke about the painful abuse he and rest of his family had to endure.
“Everyday was like a living hell. We would all get beaten, with mum, Daniel and me getting the worse of it,” he says.
“I would be asleep in bed and he would come in, pull me out and beat me for no reason. Myself and my brother didn’t actually sleep, we would just lie there waiting for my mum’s screams.
“Neither of us knew any different, we just expected it, we didn’t complain. We learnt not to fight back because he’d just do it 10 times worse.”
Jahmene’s father was eventually sent to prison for an attack on their mother and the rape of another woman, but when he was released in 2008, 23-year-old Daniel decided to take his own life.
Jahmene is great friends with mentor Nicole Scherzinger…
“He was a strong guy but after all he’d been through, he couldn’t live his own life, I think he just knew it would never end.
“I spoke to him loads around that time. He’d always ask, ‘how do you stay so happy’ and I’d say, you have to otherwise you’ll break. One day he went missing,
“He was gone for weeks and my mum knew he was dead, but I kept praying he’d come back alive. Then the police came to the house and I knew.”
When the family found Daniel’s suicide note, Daniel had written that he wanted Jahmene to keep on singing,
“We found a suicide note and he addressed each of us in turn. He told us to all keep smiling, something I always told him when he was down. Then he told me to carry on singing because it helped other people.
“Something like that never leaves you,” continues Jahmene.” That and the fact I can raise awareness of domestic violence is the reason I’m doing this.”
We have so much respect for Jahmene, a private guy who chose not use his heartbreaking story as a sob story to the X Factor cameras…
We’re all behind you Jahmene!
