Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana married in 2012 and had their first and only child in 2017. A few months later they announced they were separating.
Who doesn't like to believe that they have found love after years of bad break-ups? Falling in love is joyful and we get swept up in those feelings, sometimes changing ourselves for our partner but not all those who appear nice have our best interest in their hearts. It can then lead to a breakdown of a relationship that affects everyone around us and more importantly our children.
Pop star Janet Jackson, 54, has been through a few rough years since losing her brother Michael Jackson. It turns out that her marriage to the Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana, 45, was also full of pain and heartbreak. The high-profile couple married in 2012 after dating for a few years. She moved to London, changed herself for him, and left her lifestyle in the US, according to PageSix.
They welcomed their son, Eissa, in January 2017. However, they split up just weeks after the birth of their child. "There’s a lot of pain," Randy Jackson, Janet's brother, told People. "Janet’s been through a lot with her divorce … It was quite an abusive situation. It came on later in the relationship, verbal abuse and being [made to feel like] a prisoner in her own home. No pregnant woman needs to go through being called a b**** every day. There were things like that. That’s what she went through," he added.
An insider revealed what broke their relationship. The source told PageSix that Wissam was reserved and devoted to his faith while Janet has been performing since the age of seven and they didn't agree on many things. He had never been married and had no children previously. She has been married twice and was in another longterm relationship.
Initially, none of these mattered "when they met, their eyes locked and any apprehension . . . quickly dissipated. It was one of those love-at-first-sight-type things. They didn’t care about each other’s past." She was reportedly his "dream woman". "She’d buy him jackets with his initials inscribed, and he’d order treats from Switzerland and other places as a way of saying 'Good morning, sweetheart,'" the source added.
The Any Time, Any Place singer was also willing to reinvent herself in his conservative lifestyle and they were able to have the privacy she wanted after growing up in the public eye. While she didn't convert to Islam, she followed most of the traditions. They also agreed on having a child as soon as possible. "At least twice, she thought she was pregnant, and each time, she realized that she wasn’t, and I’m not sure who was more disappointed," the family source said.
These disappointments started chafing at their relationship. He also started controlling what she wore during her performances. Finally, in April 2016, the Made For Now singer said that she was planning to have a family and was taking a break from work. "That’s when the starry-eyed, 'dream woman and ultimate man' stories stopped and reality — a harsh reality — set in," said the source. "Janet usually ate well, exercised properly and kept herself looking good, but Wissam sort of freaked out, thinking she’d be this 'fat pig.' He was on her all the time about doing things right, eating right, as if she [weren’t] already," they added.
Eventually, she started feeling isolated from her family and friends as well. "Her life was sheltered," a confidant told Us Weekly. "Janet felt like a prisoner."
In April 2017, she confirmed that they were parting ways and while the process was going smoothly initially, it has soured since then. Randy helped Janet leave her London home with the help of their older sister Rebbie and mother Katherine Jackson.
Shortly after the split, Wissam called his wife "the most beautiful person in the world," according to People. "Janet really trusts Wissam and he trusts her," a Jackson family friend told People exclusively at the time. "She and Wissam are working together to co-parent. They have a strong friendship. There is no fighting between them," they added.
However, things changed and the popstar called the cops on her estranged husband in 2018 alleging that he may be using drugs in the presence of their child. The cops confirmed that wasn't true. Wissam's sources have criticized the move but Janet's source said, "The concern was that his erratic behavior was tied to that."
Both of them are trying to do what is best for their son. They are reportedly in a custody battle over him.
References:
https://pagesix.com/2017/09/23/inside-janet-jacksons-rocky-marriage-and-ugly-split/
https://people.com/music/janet-jackson-wissam-al-mana-split-details/
