In a particularly heartfelt chat, Jack Vidgen spoke to Jess Eva about missing his mum, describing her as “the most caring, loving, generous mum ever”.
In an earlier chat exclusive to 10 play with Pettifleur Berenger, Jack also spoke about experiencing homelessness and sleeping on the street when he was eight-years-old.
“I grew up quite poor with a single mum working multiple jobs,” he said. “I was homeless at one point. In between homes, mum was struggling to get work and eating was the most important thing… we basically were in the back of our car for a while.”
Born in Palm Beach, Jack’s family moved up to North Queensland where, after a year, his parents separated and he and his mum moved back to the Northern Beaches. The pair eventually moved back to North Queensland to be closer to Jack’s father.
During the chat, Jack admitted to Pettifleur that there were times when he had slept on the street growing up when his parents thought he was staying elsewhere, a fact he said he had never told his mum.
“Mum always made sure that I had some kind of shelter and something to eat… I didn’t feel poor at the time,” Jack continued.
“I’ve moved at least every year of my life,” he confided in Pettifleur, “it’s kind of all I’ve been used to… I understand it probably gives me some issues with stability and other things now, but I’ve always kind of lived that life, moving around and travelling. It feels comfortable to me.”
On Wednesday night, Jack broke down in tears telling Jess his relationship with his mum hit hard times after his Australia’s Got Talent win when he was 14-years-old.
“When I won the show our dynamic completely switched and, like, I was the breadwinner,” he said. “There was nothing she could do, I almost felt like I was parenting myself for a while.
“I have so much resentment now that I can’t control. I think, in here, I’m just reflecting on how I wish I had treated her better,” the 23-year-old said.
“She’s always worked three, four jobs just to keep a roof over our head,” Jack continued, “She’s gorgeous.”
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