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Saturday, April 16, 2011

RIHANNA’S SECRET FAMILY

Superstar ... Rihanna performing on stage
Superstar ... Rihanna performing on stage

POP superstar RIHANNA has a secret family in Barbados - two sisters and a brother from her dad's womanising past, The Sun can reveal.

Although the life of the multi-millionaire singer is a world away from their own, all three are fiercely loyal to the 23-year-old R&B star.
Rihanna has two younger brothers from dad RONALD FENTY's 14-year marriage to mum MONICA.

Rising star ... Rihanna in her teens
Rising star ... Rihanna in her teens
Splash News
But today we can reveal she has three older siblings, each by different mothers, who have never before spoken about growing up with the S&M and Only Girl (In the World) singer.
And not only can we let on that Rihanna is an aunt, we also have photos from her family album that have never been published before.
One of the exclusive pictures shows the first time Rihanna met eldest sister KANDY, 32, when she was a 15-year-old unknown.

Secret family ... Rihanna meeting sister Kandy for the first time
Secret family ... Rihanna meeting sister Kandy for the first time
Splash News
Kandy said: "Even then, before she was famous, she was really cool."
She introduced Rihanna - who the family all call by her first name, Robyn - to daughters BRANDY, now 14, and CRYSTAL, 11.
"My girls thought she was great fun and now, of course, they love the fact their auntie is one of the most famous singers in the world.
"They love her music and are always singing her songs at the top of their voices."
It was shortly before Rihanna hit the big time that dad Ronald opened his door to find a girl he didn't know standing outside.
Kandy explained: "I asked, 'Are you Mr Fenty?' When he said yes, I said, 'Hi I'm Kandy and I'm your daughter'."
A stunned Ronald welcomed Kandy into his home in the parish of St Michael and listened as she told him how she was born as a result of a fling he had with her mother long before he was married.
Ronald, who designs and sells clothes, said: "I guess you could say I was shocked.
"But I was a bit on the wild side and something of a ladies' man back in my early days.
"Once Kandy told me who her mother was and explained what had happened, I said, 'Well, OK, welcome to my family'."
Kandy was born in Barbados and brought up by her grandparents after her mother moved to the UK when she was a baby.
It was years later when she visited her mother at her home in Dagenham, east London, that she was finally told the name of her father and decided to look him up on her return to Barbados.
Kandy, who works as a pharmacy assistant in the island's capital Bridgetown, said: "I think once he was over the initial shock he was fine and invited me over to meet Robyn.
"We went to a local restaurant and had some photos taken with her. She was so funny, fooling around to make my daughters laugh.

Family album ... Rihanna's sister Samantha, left, with the star and their father Ronald and Rihanna's brothers
Family album ... sister Samantha, left, with Rihanna, their father Ronald and Rihanna's brothers
Splash News
"You could tell she liked being the centre of attention and loved posing for the camera."
Kandy lives modestly in a rural part of the island and works long hours to support her girls.
She said with a laugh: "No, I don't sing, I never have. But since finding out she was my sister I've followed her career closely and like to read what she's been up to.
"I saw her a few times again after that initial meeting but it wasn't long after that she moved to the States to pursue her singing career and I didn't really hear much from her again."
Kandy said Rihanna changed her mobile phone number after she was left battered and bruised in 2009 by ex-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN.
Only a handful of people now have it. Kandy added: "She's very busy jetting off all over the world and I have to work long hours so I suppose there hasn't been much opportunity to talk really.
"But I'm very proud of what she's achieved.
"I'm not jealous of the fame or fortune - I live a simple life out in the country but I'm very happy with what I have.

Teenage dreams ... young Rihanna in Barbados
Teenage dreams ... young Rihanna in Barbados
Splash News
"I don't think we have very much in common but we do have the same large forehead."
The singer has joked about her forehead being so big that she calls it her "fivehead".
Rihanna's other two secret siblings are SAMANTHA, 30, and brother JAMIE, 27. Like Kandy they were each born during a different relationship before their father married Monica.
Samantha lost contact with Ronald when he split with her mother and he moved to Canada, to work as a chef.
It was seven years later, after he moved back to Barbados, that she discovered he had married and she had a three-year-old sister, Robyn.
Friends recall how the first time she met Rihanna, Samantha stood gazing at what she described as an almost identical "mini me".
A pal said: "She was the sister Samantha had always wanted.

Secret snaps ... Rihanna (in cap) with her brothers, sister Kandy and nieces Brandy and Crystal
Reunited ... Rihanna (in cap) with brothers Rajad and Rorrey, sister Kandy and nieces Brandy and Crystal
Splash News
"She said she looked identical to the way she did at three years old.
"Samantha said it was a joy to have a younger sister and she used to love dressing her up and braiding her hair."
Samantha's mum became friends with Ronald's ex-wife Monica and, despite being divorced because of his well-documented crack addiction past, everyone seemed to get on well together.
"Samantha said Monica was always really kind to her and treated her as if she were her own daughter," added the friend.
She also became good friends with her half-brothers - Rihanna's two younger brothers RORREY, 21, and RAJAD, 15 - and Jamie, Ronald's third child before he married.
"The children all got on well and Ronald would invite them over for sleepovers and they'd go to the beach and amusement parks together. They were one big happy family when they were together."

Unseen pic ... Rihanna at 14 in Barbados
Unseen pic ... Rihanna at 14 in Barbados
Splash News
Samantha is now married and working as a policy consultant for Caribbean regional governments after studying for a masters degree at university in Bridgetown.
Like Kandy, her life is a world away from Rihanna's - now said to be worth £143million.
Samantha regularly goes to church and her work involves frequent trips to neighbouring Caribbean islands.
She has a good voice but the only singing she does is in church or at weddings or funeral services.
"At school, Samantha was very beautiful and did some modelling," said her friend.
"Rihanna's mother was a make-up artist and used to come and do the make-up for the girls when they had a show. Rihanna would always come along too.

Family life ... with dad Ronald, brother Rajad and mum Monica
Family life ... with dad Ronald, brother Rajad and mum Monica
Splash News
"Even at a very young age she could apply her own make-up perfectly. She was always fun and outgoing and made everyone laugh. She was a natural entertainer.
"Samantha had a lovely voice but she always took her studies very seriously and was determined to do something worthwhile with her life.
"Her family, her career and being taken seriously were always the things that mattered most to her."

 
Samantha and graphic artist Jamie, in particular, have remained on good terms with their famous sibling and her brothers and often meet up when the star returns to Barbados for family visits or official functions.
Today Ronald says he is incredibly proud of all six of his children.
He has revealed how Rihanna was just three when she first sat in front of a mirror using a hairbrush as a microphone and sang.
"She was always such a live-wire, full of fun and laughter," he recalled.
"I can still see her, sitting there, holding a hairbrush and singing away for all she was worth."

3 comments:

  1. Awww this was revealing and showed a beautiful unseen side of Rihanna!

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  2. nice article, it shows people more about Robyn fenty not rihanna the superstar.

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  3. dang rihannna is so inspirational , and over a few years we see her blossom into a beautiful butterfly ; i hate when people judge her , from her family point of view she was funnny and a very outgoing person , people just judge her out of the ordinary thats not right, i love rihanna from the beginnning and always be her biggest fan :) continue to make great music

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