Enrique Iglesias grew up in the spotlight because of his famous father but he lives a private life himself.
Some children grow up with the most attentive parents, while others have parents who only know how to focus on themselves. Instead of thinking about their child's wellbeing, they think of how to get away with doing the least that is possible. There are many celebrities who grew up with celebrity parents and went on to become big names themselves. And, while their famous parent/s may have been how they started learning their craft, it doesn't mean that they had good parents.
Singer Enrique Iglesias, the son of famous singer Julio Iglesias and Philippines-born model turned writer, Isabel Preysler, now the father of three kids, came from a broken home. His parents separated when he was two years old in 1979 and his father moved to Miami, Florida. The Bailando singer used to live with his mother and older siblings in Spain. He is one of 10 siblings of which only three kids are Julio and Preysler's. During their seven-year marriage, the couple had three children: Chabeli Iglesias, Julio Jose, and Enrique, according to Hola! The Hero singer is the youngest of the three.
Enrique's paternal grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, also lived in Spain but he was kidnapped for 19 days by Basque terrorists in January 1982. The kidnappers asked for $2 million ransom from Julio, who was a superstar at that point. The doctor was freed in a pre-dawn raid by 150 crack anti-terrorist troops, as per UPI. The then-66-year-old doctor had said, "From the moment the first sound was heard, until the troops stood in my room only six seconds went by," to his other son Carlos.
The superstar Julio had wept when he found out his father was safe but he got worried for his kids; Enrique and his brother, Julio Jose Jr., were sent to Miami to live with their father, according to Nikki Swift. While Enrique was supposed to be safer in the US, he became distant from his family, and his father was never available due to his touring schedule.
He was raised by his nanny, Elvira Olivares, in Miami and they formed a bond so strong that later when he wanted to record a demo tape he sought a loan from her. The demo was made under a pseudonym, Enrique MartÃnez, and he dedicated the first album to her. The father and son still have a difficult relationship and the Tonight singer has said that he doesn't want to live a life like his father's.
He has said that his father Julio's boast of sleeping with more than 3,000 women was "not the way I want to live my life," according to Daily Mail. However, he set the record straight and said that his childhood was a happy one. "No, I was very happy. I understand what most people would think, but it wasn't stressful having a famous father," he said. However, his famous singer-father didn't want this life for his son. "If I had told my parents that I wanted to be a singer, they would have said: 'Don't do it!'"
He left home at 18 after having a fight with his father when he told him that he had signed a record contract without telling his parents first. "I packed my bags and left for Canada. I was going to do something that I loved," he said, adding, "I think my dad was used to controlling everything in his life and suddenly he got something he couldn't control. Maybe that was good for me. If he was negative, it made me want to prove him wrong."
He added that he was a loner as a child, but he knew that if he needed his father he would be there. He also added that his father has never seen him perform. "I know people find that weird and it's true, he's never been to one of my concerts. It's difficult to judge us as an outsider because we don't see each other a lot, barely ever, but I love and respect him more than anything."
Enrique told Billboard in 2014 that since both of them were working artists they would only meet on special occasions like funerals. "Is that really an excuse? Let's be honest. All I know is that if my dad ever needed me, I would be there first thing," he said.
References:
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/01/17/Singers-father-freed-from-kidnappers/3167380091600/
