US pop star Janet Jackson has split up with husband Wissam Al-Mana, barely three months after giving birth to her first child Eissa at the age of 50.
A close friend of Ms. Jackson confirmed the divorces saying, "Sadly, Janet and Wissam have decided that it wasn’t working and to go their separate ways."
The friend added that the couple has reportedly agreed on an “amicable split”.
However, a very different picture has now began to emerge, of an apparently controlling, unhappy marriage, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Sources say a clash of cultures has driven Janet and Wissam apart, made worse since the birth of baby Eissa, over whose upbringing and day-to-day care they disagree.
While Janet is keen to be a hands-on mother, Wissam, a wealthy businessman with £800 million to his name, has strict views on how his son should be brought up, and has hired round-the-clock staff to wait on his wife and child in their Belgravia home.
The baby has never been seen in public, and Janet was reportedly forbidden from leaving the house while she was nursing. Wissam, too, has disappeared from sight
"Janet thought he had become too controlling during the pregnancy," explains the source.
"She had already allowed him to dictate her appearance and even the way she performed at concerts. It drove her crazy, and she felt she was losing her fan base."
The singer's overall appearance underwent a dramatic overhaul. The thigh-high boots, skimpy skirts and cleavage-baring tops of her heyday were replaced by billowing black clothes the covered the star's body from head to toe, with not even an inch of flesh visible.
Also. Janet’s performances have, in recent years, been much toned-down versions of her usual displays — or cancelled entirely.
The Qatari millionaire married Jackson in 2012, becoming her third husband after musician James DeBarge (1984-85) and Mexican dancer Rene Elizondo Jr. (1991-2000).