James Blunt's dramatic life, wife and being blamed for Carrie Fisher's death
James Blunt has opened up candidly about his rollercoaster life and personal tragedies over the years.
The You're Beautiful singer is now much more settled down with a 'strong' wife and two young children - but he has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows during his lifetime. From witnessing the Kosovo War to recording the best-selling album of the nineties and grieving the loss and guilt of his best friend's death.
James, who turns 50 today, packed a lot into the last year of his forties, including a documentary called One Brit Wonder, a new album titled Who We Used To Be, and a highly-anticipated memoir, Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story. Here, we take a look at what his life looks like off-stage, from his family to his heartache past and present.
Marriage and family
James and wife Sofia have been married since 2014 and share two children together (Getty Images)James is married to Sofia Wellesley, an Edinburgh University-educated legal consultant with aristocratic roots. The daughter of Lord and Lady John Henry Wellesley, and granddaughter of the eighth Duke of Wellington, it was perhaps no surprise that James and Sofia received an exclusive invite to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018.
The couple began dating in 2012 and, on September 5, 2014, tied the knot in a private ceremony held at a London registry office, the morning after attending music legend Elton John's annual End of Summer party in Windsor. As reported by the Mail Online, socialite Sofia joked with pals at the time that she "was almost too hungover to get married".
Ed Sheeran says 'turbulent things' have happened in personal life in rare video
No sooner had they said, 'I do', the lovebirds jetted off to Majorca for a second ceremony with family and friends, held at Sofia's mother's breathtaking Marsana estate. Reflecting on his choice of partner with the Mail Online ahead of the big day, James explained: "It takes a strong person to be able to deal with somebody working in music. It's hard when you're with somebody and you become embroiled in something just because you were seen standing next to someone else." He added: "It takes a tough person to deal with that and I'm lucky to have her."
James and Sofia are now raising two children together, with their first son born in 2016. Although the proud parents are keen to protect their children's privacy, it is understood that they chose fellow singer Ed Sheeran as the godfather of their eldest. In an interview with The Sun, Ed revealed: "James is like a brother to me, actually I'm not quite sure if I can say this, but I'm going to - he's just made me godfather to his son. To be honest, I think he's only done it because he knows I've got a good idea of what sort of person he'd want him to be when he grows up - an absolute lad. We're going to be brothers for life."
Ed Sheeran is James Blunt's son's godfather and close friend (WireImage)
His son's godmother is late American actress Carrie Fisher (Getty Images)Personal tragedies
For his son's godmother, James opted for his close friend Carrie Fisher, whose death in December 2016 left him "desperately sad" that the youngster would grow up without knowing her. James told People magazine at the time: "She's the most amazing person I know and I'm really desperately sad he won't get to know her but I have many memories, many stories I'll be able to tell him. I don't know if any of them are safe enough to tell on camera!"
In his memoir, James wrote about being blamed by Carrie's daughter for her death. He admitted that Carrie had an 'issue with drugs' and was 'open about her addiction'. "I stood many times at the foot of her bed at 3am listening to the laboured breathing of someone sounding close to death on heavy medication," he wrote.
"Not long before she died, I asked her to be godmother to my son, telling her that I wanted her to take care of herself so that he might know her when he grew up." James explained that he put off confronting her about her need to quit drugs and said he would one day, "just not today". He said: "As a result, her daughter Billie blames me in part for her death, and no longer speaks to me."
When it came to his latest album, James drew upon his grief for Carrie in the heartbreaking track Dark Thought. In a recent interview with The Sun, James explained: "In the song, it's a serious story about when I drive to the house and see a For Sale sign outside and shed a tear. But in real life, it was a funny moment when a star tour bus came along and the tour guide said over the Tannoy, 'And on the left you can see the late, great Carrie Fisher's house and you can see some fans are still paying their respects'. And that was me blubbing by the gate."
Another new track, entitled The Girl That Never Was, appears to be about the heartbreaking loss of a child, and James has shared that this one is particularly meaningful to him. He continued: "The song that means the most is The Girl That Never Was and I've talked about how we can relate. We all have ambitions to start families at some point - sometimes we have success and sometimes we struggle, which is what the song is about."
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch.
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