Seal has over 20 million albums sold worldwide, four Grammy nominations, and a number one hit in the United States. On the other hand, people are less interested in such achievements than they are in the star’s prominent facial scars. Yes, the singer has been dogged by rumors about how he got the scars in the first place since he rose to fame. So, what is the real story? We’ll give you a hint: it isn’t what you’ve read from different articles.
After Getting Plagued With Rumors, We Finally Have An Explanation For Seal’s Scars
Ever Since
Seal has had scars on his body for a long time, dating back to his days as a budding guitarist. In the 1980s, the future chart-topper began his career performing in London pubs. He struck gold after stints with a Thai blues band and a British funk group called Push. But then Seal met Adamski, a developer who would have a profound impact on his life.
Ever Since
Nothing Deterred Him
Seal was undeterred by his wounds as well. His 1990 collaboration with Adamski, “Killer,” reached number one in the United Kingdom and landed him a solo deal with ZTT Records. “Crazy,” a transatlantic hit single, followed. Seal was the first artist to win three BRIT Awards in the same year, in 1992. Simply put, his creativity surpassed his physical appearance.
Nothing Deterred Him
Kept Winning
Seal’s winning streak began in 1994 with the release of his second self-titled album. “Kiss from a Rose,” the album’s third song, was later remade for the Batman Forever soundtrack and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. And the heartfelt song will help him advance his career even further. “Kiss from a Rose” helped Seal win Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
Kept Winning
Ups And Downs
Seal’s work, however, has had its ups and downs. After some behind-the-scenes issues, his third album, Human Being, was released in 1998, but it didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as his two previous albums. Another setback in his career was the cancellation of a tentatively titled Togetherland album in 2001. He did not, however, lose it. Switching gears, Seal collaborated on a string of songs with Mylene Farmer, Santana, and Jakatta that kept him in the spotlight.
Ups And Downs
The Relaunch
And, in 2003, the British singer relaunched his career with his fourth release, also named Seal. The album was his best-charting album in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200. System in 2007 and Soul in 2008 were preceded by a hits compilation in 2004 and a live album in 2005. Seal 6: Commitment, Soul 2, 7, and Standards are the four albums he’s released since then.
The Relaunch
The Voice
Seal dabbled in broadcasting in 2012 and 2013, serving as a mentor on The Voice Australia. He took a break from the show after winning both seasons before returning in 2017. Seal portrayed Pontius Pilate in Tyler Perry’s musical adaptation of The Passion of Christ, The Passion, which aired on Fox a year before his death.
The Voice
Controversies
However, Seal’s career has not been without controversy. They chastised him in 2011 for attending a birthday party for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is accused of several human rights violations. Seal was accused of sexually abusing actress Tracey Birdsall by the Los Angeles Police Department in 2018, but the case was dropped.
Controversies
Went Headlines
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Seal has made the news. Seal rose to prominence in the daily tabloids in 2004 when he began dating Heidi Klum. The German supermodel was expecting her child at the time of her split from Formula One boss Flavio Briatore. Seal married Klum in Mexico a year later, and Seal adopted Klum’s daughter Leni in 2009.
Went Headlines
Three Children
Seal and Klum already had three daughters together. Henry was their first child, born in 2005, and Johan and Lou, their son and daughter, were born in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Despite this, the celebrity couple divorced in 2012 and were divorced two years later. According to reports, however, the two are still friends.
Three Children
Third-Party
Seal was linked to singer/actress Delta Goodrem during their time on The Voice Australia. Although Seal admitted to The Herald Sun how much he admired her, both parties rejected any sexual engagement. “Her knowledge of her art is amazing, and I still sit there in wonder watching her work,” he said in June 2017.
Third-Party
Glitz And Glam
Seal is well-known for his distinctive facial scars, in addition to his glittering career and high-profile personal life. Since his arrival on the scene in the early 1990s, stories about how he got them have circulated. One of the more well-known legends is that he killed them in a car accident.
Glitz And Glam
Ancient Rituals
Seal’s scars may have been caused by an ancient racial rite, according to another theory. The actor admitted to being aware of the allegations in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “People still want them to be territorial scars. That’s also the essence of the media and people’s imaginations,” he said.
Ancient Rituals
DLE
The true cause is a disease called discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), which causes significant skin lesions in those who have it. The face, scalp, and arms are frequently affected by these wounds, which develop an inflamed, crusty, and scaly red patch. DLE patients are also more susceptible to sunlight and ultraviolet rays.
DLE
No Clear Triggers
It’s still unclear what causes DLE. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology stated that “it is believed to be allergic, with the body’s immune response wrongly targeting regular skin.” According to Dawn Isherwood, a wellness instructor with the Lupus Foundation of America, 10% of sufferers will eventually be diagnosed with full-blown lupus.
No Clear Triggers
Since Puberty
Seal had stated in numerous interviews that DLE first affected him when he was a teenager. The illness also caused his hair to fall out, in addition to the visible marks on his cheek. Seal is now recovering from the disease, despite the fact that these side effects will follow him for the rest of his life.
Since Puberty
Still With You
In a 1996 interview with The New York Times, Seal stated that his illness aided him in becoming a better artist. “I agree that in all types of art, there has to be some initial adversity: that is what creates art, in my opinion,” he said. “And it’s not something you outlive: after you’ve seen it, it’s still with you.”
Still With You
Discouraged
Seal, on the other hand, has admitted that his scars used to be a source of self-doubt for him. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, however, the singer stated that his attitude toward the scars had completely changed. He claimed that: “Now I really like them.”
Discouraged
Others Are Fighting
While Seal may be the only well-known celebrity with lupus, many others are battling various forms of the disease. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2013, Selena Gomez underwent chemotherapy. Toni Braxton, Nick Cannon, and Kristen Johnson are just a few of the celebrities who have battled the disease.
Others Are Fighting
Back To Business
Seal, on the other hand, is back to business as usual for the time being. In fact, he returned to London in 2018 for a show that included both covers of classic jazz songs and his own hits. He performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival with Herbie Hancock and Bobbie McFerrin a few months ago.
Back To Business
Others Too
Seal, on the other hand, is far from the only celebrity with a mysterious scar. These 19 actors, too, have scars on their faces. They may not only hold the key to several exciting stories, but they may also serve as poignant reminders of turbulent times.
Others Too
Kylie Jenner
In a 2011 Celebuzz video, Kylie Jenner finally revealed the truth about her scar on her left leg, sharing a painful story. Jenner stumbled and fell on a spike when she was five years old; she recalled, “I tried pushing away to bring the pole off, but it just ripped through my entire thigh.” Ouch.
Kylie Jenner
Parminder Nagra
Bend It Like Beckham’s writers wanted to include actress Parminder Nagra’s burn scar in the script because it is so visible. However, her real-life scar story is not as dramatic as the one depicted in the film: when she was seven, the ER actress inadvertently set her pants on fire while cooking.
Parminder Nagra
Tommy Flanagan
You could be forgiven for thinking Tommy Flanagan’s scars in films like Braveheart are the work of a talented make-up artist, but they are 100% real. Before becoming an actress, Flanagan was knifed in a Glasgow bar and received the infamous “Glasgow grin” – a facial slash from ear to ear. The joke is on his detractors, because those scars may have contributed to Flanagan’s celebrity.
Tommy Flanagan
Kaley Cuoco
After her horse crushed her in 2010, Kaley Cuoco, star of The Big Bang Theory, was left with a massive scar on her left leg. The actress was on the verge of having her foot amputated, but she pulled through and is now a competitive equestrian.
Kaley Cuoco
Sean Bean
Sean Bean’s scar has a fascinating Hollywood origin. Bean was working on the set of the 1992 film Patriot Games when he was smacked by fellow actor Harrison Ford with a boat hook. Of course, it was an accident, but Bean was left with this mark beneath his brow. It’s visible in The Lord of the Rings, where it’s left uncovered on purpose.
Sean Bean
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi, the host of Top Chef, has a seven-inch scar on her shoulder from a car accident when she was 14 years old, in which she broke her leg – and a hip. Lakshmi was initially self-conscious about her scar, but she has grown to appreciate it; she said in a 2001 Vogue article, “The scar has singled me out and made me who I am.”
Padma Lakshmi
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen was so badly hurt on the set of the Lord of the Rings films that it would be shocking if he didn’t have any scars. However, the visible spot on the actor’s upper lip dates from before the trilogy. Mortensen told the Calgary Sun in 1999 that he was 17 years old when he was involved in an accident. According to him, it was “a mixture of a hand and a barbed-wire fence on an especially poor Halloween night.”
Viggo Mortensen
Luke Perry
The scar that runs across Luke Perry’s brow has faded with age, but it is undeniably visible. The actor was frequently involved in extremely dangerous misbehavior as a child, such as jumping out of windows. This scar, on the other hand, is the result of Perry colliding with a beverage machine at a bowling alley.
Luke Perry
Miles Teller
Miles Teller, the film Whiplash’s protagonist, narrowly avoided a car accident when he was 20 years old, and he has the scars to prove it. The actor has stated publicly that he believes his facial scars have prevented him from landing prominent film roles, and he has previously used laser therapy to remove them.
Miles Teller
Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone usually hides her massive scar on her neck with clever makeup or large necklaces, but her fans are well aware of it, not least because the iconic bodily trait once had its own page on her website. While horseback riding as a teenager, the Basic Instinct star cut her neck after galloping straight into a stiff piece of rope.
Sharon Stone
Harrison Ford
Young Indiana Jones gets a cut on his cheek after hitting himself in the chest with his whip in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Harrison Ford’s real-life scar story is less Hollywood-y, but no less gruesome: at the age of 20, the actor suffered a broken jaw after crashing his Volvo 544 into a telephone pole.
Harrison Ford
Michael K. Williams
Michael K. Williams was 25 years old when he was stabbed in the face with a knife, leaving him with a large vertical scar across his forehead. The beating, on the other hand, turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the fresh scar allowed Williams to land more gangsta-style acting roles. On The Wire, he was finally cast as Omar Little, and the rest is history.
Michael K. Williams
Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi and Vince Vaughn were having some downtime while filming Domestic Disturbance in 2001 when they were swept up in a vicious bar brawl. Due to the battle, Buscemi suffered potentially life-threatening injuries, which left visible scars on his face and body. Despite this, the tenacious firefighter-turned-actor was back on the job only a few months later, volunteering for the 9/11 relief operation – bravo.
Steve Buscemi
Queen Latifah
When Queen Latifah was a child, she was playing chase and fell, causing a two-inch laceration on her head. On the other hand, Latifah is unconcerned about her scar. “I’d never cover it up,” she told InStyle magazine. It gives my face personality.”
Queen Latifah
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix has had his famous facial scar since birth. A microform cleft, a milder form of cleft lip disease, affects it. In addition, the Walk the Line star has stated that, contrary to popular belief, he has not had any surgery to address the problem.
Joaquin Phoenix
Catherine Zeta-Jones
As a child, Catherine Zeta-Jones had to have her windpipe repaired, leaving her with a one-and-a-half-inch scar at the base of her throat. “Make-up artists are still attempting to cover it up, but I don’t want to conceal it,” she told People in 1998. “If I didn’t have this scar, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Jonah Hill
In a 2010 Rolling Stone interview, Jonah Hill admitted that after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, he became a “bad boy.” So when the teen crashed an SUV and smashed his thumb, everything came to a head – and the star cleaned up his act after the wake-up call. “I look at this scar every day,” he told the publication. “It serves as a reminder to me to work hard.”
Jonah Hill
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s scars tell a tragic story. The Dirty Pretty Things star was in a car with his father when it collided with a bus when he was 11 years old. His father and three others were killed as a result, but Ejiofor was critically injured and left with scars that would follow him for the rest of his life. As one might expect, the event had a significant impact on his life, not only because of Ejiofor’s death but also because it seemed to encourage him to make the best of whatever opportunities presented themselves.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Tina Fey
Tina Fey was so conscious of the scar that ran down her left cheek that she tried to limit filming on the set of 30 Rock to her right side. Everyone was taken aback when she revealed the label to Vanity Fair in 2008. Finally, Fey confirmed that the scar was caused by a man’s brutal, random assault when she was five years old.
Tina Fey