Was Janet Jackson’s drastic makeover from racy pop star to reclusive mum caused by her doomed marriage?
Sources claim diva's third husband Wissam Al Mana made her tone down her sexy image
JANET Jackson is known for her skintight clothes, raunchy on-stage moves and her infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Superbowl.
But since her marriage to millionaire Wissam Al Mana, in 2012, the 50-year-old singer seems to have changed.
She has kept an increasingly low profile and recent pictures, showing Janet covered up from head to toe, had fans speculating she had converted to Islam to please her husband – although the garb was actually Adidas designer menswear with a price tag of £1,000.
Now, amid reports that the couple have split just three months after the birth of their son Eissa, rumours have emerged that Janet had been unhappy for some time in a marriage in which her husband dictated her every move.
Friends have claimed that tensions between the Control star and her 41-year-old husband have grown since the birth of the baby, in January, as he imposed his strict views on parenting and hired round the clock nannies to look after Eissa and Janet at their Belgravia home.
A source told the : “She thought he had become too controlling during the pregnancy and 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.”
In 2016, Janet cancelled the UK and European dates because, she said, she and her husband wanted to start a family.
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But even before that, fans had begun to notice a drastic change in the formerly raunchy star.
On her 2014 Rhythm Nation tour, the PVC and thigh-high boots were ditched in favour of looser, less revealing outfits and the raunchy dance moves were taken out of her routines.
She followed that with the album Unbreakable and fans noticed her often racy lyrics were toned down with all mentions of sex omitted.
Disgruntled fans even produced mock “Missing Person” posters with Janet’s face on them.
Janet married the wealthy businessman, who is worth £800 million, five years ago after meeting him at a party in Dubai.
She was aware of his religious beliefs and many have speculated that she converted to Islam to please him.
Janet has never confirmed or denied this, but she began to end her concerts with the blessing “Inshallah” meaning “if God wills.”
Her most recent tweet, in November, reads: “I feel your love and prayers. Thank you and I'm doing well”
She signed off with “Al Hamdu Lillah,” meaning “Praise God.”
Around the time of her reported conversion, one insider claimed: “Janet feels like she has found a home with her new religion and has told members of her family about it. They all completely respect her choice.
“She’s spent a great deal of time studying the religion and its followers.”
Wissam - Janet’s third husband – was born in Qatar to a wealthy family and moved to London aged two.
The family business, Al Mana, represents major fashion brands including Dolce & Gabbana and Emporio Armani.
Janet moved to London after the wedding was seen in public less and less in recent months.
Since Eissa’s birth, however Janet has reportedly left the house only twice – to buy baby clothes and to shop with her mother, Katherine, and eldest sister, Rebbie, who flew over to stay with her last month.
The source told the New York Post that Wissam banned Janet from leaving the house while she was nursing, in accordance with his strict Muslim beliefs.
But friends also say Janet “absolutely loves” motherhood and doesn’t want to be parted from her son.
It seems Katherine’s lengthy stay may have been the catalyst to the split.
Janet was said to be angry that Wissam showed no sympathy for Katherine, who is embroiled in a court case against nephew Trent over “elder abuse” claims.
The source that when her mother left, “Janet made her decision that there was no turning back.
“She was worried about her mother — and Wissam showed little to no concern.”
The couple are said to have had an “amicable split”
Yesterday, a friend said: “They’re both busy people, but determined to be good parents, even if they’re apart.”
