Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed that four of her five children have been – or are being – bullied at school by others in their class.
The London-born popstar, 46, has enjoyed a major career revival in the last 18 months after her song Murder On the Dancefloor became a viral hit.
A mum to five children, Sophie shares her kids with her husband Richard Jones, who was also the bassist for Noughties pop rock band The Feeling.
Sophie’s kids are 21-year-old Sonny, 16-year-old Kit, 11-year-old Ray, and nine-year-old Jesse, with six-year-old Mickey coming last in January 2019.
Despite Sophie’s dark brown hair, four of her children have inherited Richard’s adorable ginger genes – but apparently, other kids at their school don’t view it quite so positively.
Speaking about the experiences her children have had at school, she admitted that they’ve been marked out as ‘different’ to other pupils who pick on them.
On the Salon Confidential podcast, she said: ‘[Bullying] has definitely been something they’ve experienced, which is really harsh. You get to secondary school and anything that marks you out becomes the thing you will be teased about.’
She continued: ‘It’s extraordinary how you have this desire at that age group just to blend in, to be part of the pack. It’s a really strong instinct.
‘But rather than letting it make you feel down, hopefully by having conversations, you can actually keep an eye on it and keep it on the right side of things.’
However, Sophie says she reassures her children that, when they’re out of the school environment, they will learn to love the genes they’ve inherited from their dad.
‘[They will] get a bit older and [think]: “Actually, all those things about me that set me apart are the things I’ll now give space to and invest in and enjoy myself”.’
The Catch You singer also revealed that, despite them all having such similar hair, she can still tell them apart: ‘My kids have got some different shades of red, but it’s so gorgeous – and I can always find them so easily in a playground.’
In 2023, the Take Me Home hitmaker revealed to Metro that she raised her five children ‘on a tour bus’ while she was featuring regularly as a top 10 singer in the 2000s.
More Trending
Performing up and down the country during her heyday, the star revealed she worked her music career around her family life and admitted things were sometimes more difficult than they seemed.
‘I run my own gig really. If I decide I want to bring my kids with me on the tour bus, then that’s what happens. If I say I’m going to take that week off because it’s half term, I can do that.
‘The quandary is when you’re basically running your own business, it’s in you that you want to keep going – particularly if you adore what you do – and every musician I know finds turning down work really hard.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: 00s rockstar reveals truth behind ‘weird’ Arctic Monkeys feud 17 years later
MORE: 00s Lady Gaga is back as fans praise ‘spectacular’ Coachella set
MORE: Jamelia ‘could have cried every day’ while filming dark BBC drama
