JAMIE AF-WOE

THE proud mum of mop star Jamie Afro told last night how he got a job while he was still a teenager at school to help his struggling family pay their way.

Jeanne Archer revealed the big-haired singer started grafting early so they could pay the bills after she split from his South-American born dad William.

And Jamie - dubbed Jamie Afro because of his huge mop of hair - also scrimped and saved what he could to keep his music dream alive.

Jeanne, 65, said: "His childhood was extremely hard at times. He got a job in a supermarket to help pay the bills. Any extra money he earned he'd put towards his music. He's a fantastic son and I'm lucky to have him."

Mum-of-two Jeanne lived in a tiny two-bedroom flat in Putney, south-west London, after separating from William in 1980. At the time the singer was only five years old and his brother Stephen was seven.

Times were hard especially when crippling migraines stopped Jeanne from being able to work.

Savings

She explained: "It was tough as a divorced mum with two young children and their father out of the picture. I suffer from disabling migraines which can take me out of action for days. They leave me bed-bound and unable to work much of the time.

"We lived off my savings for a while but as soon as Jamie and Stephen were old enough they had to work so we could survive.

"But the hard times make you closer, and as a result we're a tight-knit family. We've always helped one another out."

And as Jeanne opens her family album to reveal Jamie's early years, she puts his amazing singing talent down to his dad, who moved back to South America after the couple split.

"He was a musician, and I'm sure that rubbed off on Jamie when he was younger," she explained. "Jamie has been chasing his dream to be a musician since the age of ten when I bought him a £10 second- hand guitar.

"He taught himself to play. He'd record Top of the Pops and then play it back repeatedly until he had figured out how to play the song.

"Then he started singing. Music was his passion growing up. He loved bands like Led Zeppelin and Queen."

Jamie put any spare cash from his supermarket job towards his music and was eager to get a good guitar.

Jeanne said: "When he was 18 he bought his first proper guitar for £500 and it was one of his proudest moments. He'd been saving up for years."

After leaving school at 18, he started playing small gigs in London pubs. Sometimes he performed as a solo artist but he also teamed up with his drummer brother Stephen and their band called Jalexis 11.

Hard-working Jamie spent the next 16 YEARS gigging and doing bar work to make ends meet before auditioning for the X Factor.

Now 34, he has wowed the judges with his talent - singing Kings of Leon's Sex On Fire at his first audition and a heartfelt rendition of the Oasis song Stop Crying Your Heart Out at Simon Cowell's house in LA. But Jeanne revealed he considered QUITTING music in 2006 after failing to get his big break.

Jamie was penniless and fed up of playing to only a handful of people - so after one disastrous gig he phoned his mum and vowed to give up his dream. Jeanne recalled: "Jamie had a gig in Croydon and because he doesn't own a car he had to go on the train.

"It was raining and freezing, and he was soaking when he arrived after carrying all his equipment. His hands were so cold he couldn't play the guitar.

"He called me and said: 'This is sh*t. I've had enough of being skint. I'm quitting."

Jeanne added: "It was demoralising when he travelled a long way to a gig and only eight people turned up to watch - and that has happened."

So Jamie stopped music for three months, instead doing bar and promotional work to get by. Jeanne sighed: "He was at a really low point."

Popular

But with the support of his mum and brother, Jamie didn't give up his dream - and after making it through in the Over-25s category he performed in last night's live finals.

Jeanne said: "The boys have always supported one another in their music. They have a saying to keep them motivated. 'Whatever life throws at you keep going. Don't give up.'

"After months of Stephen reminding Jamie of this something clicked and he stopped moping around and returned to his music.

"It was a turning point, and he's worked with more focus ever since."

But Jamie's determination to succeed can cost him his relationships, according to his mum.

"Jamie's always been popular with women. They find him fascinating. He's been out with numerous girls but they don't last that long because his dedication to music gets in the way.

"Ever since he started gigging he's been followed by groupies, and I know he's had relationships with a few.

"He's never introduced a girlfriend to me. When he was living at home I met the odd girl as she was being sneaked out the next morning but that's it - and I never met them again."

Single Jamie claims his wild afro has helped him to bed dozens of girl fans. He previously teased: "I like women, There's so many, why stop at one?"

Even Jeanne admitted that his hair had its own charm. She laughed: "He's been growing that afro since he was 10 years old. He loves anything that draws attention to him, so his hair is a bonus."

But despite his luck with the ladies, Jeanne revealed that Jamie has only been in love once - with a Swedish DJ called Danielle Pearsons who he met on holiday in Thailand in 2005.

She said: "She lived with him over here for a bit and it lasted six months but it soon fizzled out. Jamie loves being single, that's the problem."

He's already admitted he's got a crush on blonde Kandy Rain singer Coco Lloyd, 22. "I just think she's a gorgeous woman," he grinned.

But it's room-mates Olly Murs and Danyl Johnson who Jeanne thinks will be the toughest competition in the X Factor.

She said: "They're both fantastic but they pose the biggest threat. But Jamie deserves to win - I'm just glad to see him fulfilling his dream."

• Jamie Archer's hot Coco
• Afro got me bare-o with an Aero

This article has 14 comments