I just can’t wait to be the daddy, says James Arthur
JAMES ARTHUR has revealed he can’t wait to be a father. The singer had a troubled childhood, which led to him being taken into foster care at a young age. But the 30-year-old, who has dated professional dancer Jessica Grist on and off since winning The X Factor in 2012, admits that tough start in life has never put him off wanting a family of his own.
James told Guilty Pleasures he has always dreamed of becoming a dad but must first make sure his relationship is rock solid before taking the plunge.
‘I remember when my parents put me up for foster care and no one cared about me,’ he said. ‘As a teenager, I sat at a table in a social services meeting and witnessed my mum and dad sign a piece of paper saying, “We don’t want to look after this kid any more”.
‘That was a pivotal moment in my life and, because of that experience, I can’t risk having a child in a relationship that is not going to last the distance.
‘It has to be bullet-proof.’
He continued: ‘Jessica and I have spoken about having kids but we are both very focused on our careers right now and I feel like I have got a lot to prove in this industry still.
‘However, I always imagined being a young dad, and that is definitely in my sights. I like the idea of when my kid is 20 that I am not too old to kick a football around with it.’
James — who releases new single Empty Space this week — has been open about his battles with addiction and anxiety in the past but insists he now leads a much cleaner life.
‘My lifestyle has changed 100 per cent,’ he said. ‘I used to be an extreme person and I didn’t give a s***.
‘It was like “Oh, by the way you have got to be up at eight in the morning because you are doing an interview with Marvin Humes on Capital Radio,” and I would be drinking or smoking weed until an hour before.
‘I didn’t give a s*** and that is the way that I always was.
‘It was whatever numbs the pain. I didn’t even think about the consequences and I had to deal with crippling anxiety the whole day.
‘Now I still smoke the odd spliff and have the odd beer but I know if I have got a big gig then I am smart about it.
‘You just get tired of feeling like s*** don’t you?’ he said. ‘I think as you get older, you can’t recover as quickly and I don’t want to feel like that any more.’
James will perform his new single Empty Space on The X Factor.
Author: Andrei Harmsworth
