Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed her five children have been subjected to bullying because of their red hair.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s kids have been bullied because of their hair colour.
The 46-year-old singer has five children – Sonny, 19, Kit, 14, Ray, 11, Jesse, seven, and Mickey, four – with her The Feeling bassist husband Richard Jones, and Sophie said they have been subjected to “harsh” comments over their red hair but she is determined to help them by having “conversations” about their experiences.
She told Andreas Wild on her ‘Salon Confidential’ podcast: “It’s [bullying] definitely been something they’ve experienced, which is really harsh.
“But rather than letting it make you feel down, hopefully by having conversations, you can actually keep an eye on it and keep it on the right side of things.
“You get to secondary school and anything that marks you out becomes the thing you will be teased about.
“It’s extraordinary how you have this desire at that age group just to blend in, to be part of the pack. It’s a really strong instinct.”
The ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ hitmaker has said when her boys get older, they will realise how unique and special they are with their red locks, and it will enable Sonny, Jesse, Mickey and Kit to accept themselves for who they are.
Sophie added: “And then you get a bit older and you’re like, ‘Actually, all those things about me that set me apart are the things I’ll now give space to and invest in and enjoy myself.'”
However, the ‘Catch You’ songstress had seen the positive side of their striking hair colour as she can easily spot them in the playground.
Sophie joked: “My kids have got some different shades of red, but it’s so gorgeous – and I can always find them so easily in a playground.
“Handy!”
And Sophie – whose mother is the former ‘Blue Peter’ presenter Janet Ellis – previously admitted she also faced bullying when she was growing up because of how unpopular she was.
She told Heat Radio in 2009: “Was I popular? No, complete opposite.
“There was an Against Sophie club. It’s pretty cruel, but they were interested at first, ‘Oh your mum’s on TV’, and then it was, ‘Hang on a minute, she’s the only one who’s got that so we can all gang up on her’, and stuff like that.
“That was in my infant school so I think I was about five or six.
“I can’t say it was brilliant, but at the same time I probably was a bit of a show-off about it because I thought it was brilliantly glamorous.”
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s kids bullied over hair colour
