Ben Haenow is wary of reconnecting with his estranged father.
The ‘X Factor’ contestant was brought up by his mother Rosanna after his father Michael walked out on him and his brother Alex when he was just four-years-old and although he’s now back in touch with him, Ben admits he’s struggling to get his "head around it".
He shared: "Now that I’m on the show, he’s texting me, saying, ‘I really love you, Ben, I’m so proud of you’.
"But he’s never said stuff like that to me before. We didn’t really get on that well. Anything I was interested in, he wouldn’t take an interest in."
Admitting he was taken aback when his dad got in touch, Ben added: "I reply but not immediately. It takes me a while to get my head around it."
However, despite claiming he doesn’t think Michael is simply contacting him for the fame that comes with being on ‘The X Factor’, Ben admits his past makes him question his motives.
He told The Sun newspaper: "Alex and I had a rocky relationship with our dad.
"He was supposed to see us on Sundays but regularly we would be waiting on the corner of our road and he wouldn’t turn up.
"He then met his second wife and she seemed to do a lot to get us involved in his life but he wasn’t too bothered.
"We’d meet every couple of months or so – but then he left her as well."
Explaining that he thinks his father has contacted him because he’s getting older and is "alone", Ben added that he doesn’t think they’ll "ever be close".
Ben Haenow wary of reconnecting with father
