Seal has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, earned four Grammys, and had a number one hit in the United States. However, people don’t like to care about such accomplishments as much as they do about the star’s prominent facial scars. Yes, ever since the singer rose to fame, he’s been dogged with rumors of how he got the scars in the first place. So, what is the truth? We’ll send you a hint: it’s not what you’ve been reading.
After Getting Plagued With Rumors, We Finally Have An Explanation For Seal’s Scars
Ever Since
And Seal has had the scars for a long time – ever since he was a budding guitarist. Back in the 1980s, the eventual chart-topper earned his stripes by playing in London pubs. And, after stints with a Thai blues band and a British funk group named Push, he struck gold. But then, seal encountered Adamski, a developer who would help change his life forever.
Ever Since
Nothing Deterred Him
Those wounds didn’t deter Seal either. His 1990 collaboration with Adamski, “Killer,” topped the U.K. chart and secured the singer a solo contract with ZTT Records. The transatlantic hit single “Crazy” followed. In 1992, Seal became the first artist to receive three BRIT Awards in the same year. Simply put, his creativity overwhelmed his appearance.
Nothing Deterred Him
Kept Winning
Seal’s winning run began with a second self-titled album in 1994. A remake of the album’s third song, “Kiss from a Rose,” was later included on the Batman Forever soundtrack and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. And the touching song will help his career even further. Seal won Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 1996 Grammy Awards, thanks to “Kiss from a Rose.”
Kept Winning
Ups And Downs
Nonetheless, Seal’s work has had its ups and downs. Human Being, his third record, was released in 1998 after some behind-the-scenes problems, but it struggled to garner the same critical praise as his two previous LPs. Another setback in his career came with the cancellation of a 2001 album tentatively titled Togetherland. But he did not lose it. Switching gears, Seal collaborated with Mylene Farmer, Santana, and Jakatta on a string of songs that held 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 LP peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, being his best charting album in the United States. A hits compilation in 2004 and a live album in 2005 were preceded by System in 2007 and Soul in 2008. Since then, he’s released four more albums: Seal 6: Commitment, Soul 2, 7, and Standards.
The Relaunch
The Voice
Seal has also dabbled in broadcasting, working as a mentor on The Voice Australia in 2012 and 2013. Since winning both seasons, he took a break from the show before returning in 2017. Seal performed Pontius Pilate in The Passion, a musical version of The Passion of Christ staged by Tyler Perry and screened by Fox a year before his departure.
The Voice
Controversies
Seal’s career, though, has not been without controversy. In 2011, for example, they chastised him for participating at a birthday party for Chechen chief Ramzan Kadyrov, accused of several human rights violations. In 2018, L.A. police prosecuted charges that Seal had sexually abused actress Tracey Birdsall, but the police dismissed the investigation.
Controversies
Went Headlines
Of note, this isn’t the first time Seal has attracted headlines. In reality, Seal first became a daily tabloid figure in 2004 when he began dating Heidi Klum. At the time, the German supermodel had split from Formula One boss Flavio Briatore and was expecting his child. Seal and Klum married a year later in Mexico, and Seal formally adopted Klum’s daughter Leni in 2009.
Went Headlines
Three Children
Seal and Klum already had three girls. Their first child, Henry, was born in 2005, and their son Johan and daughter Lou were born in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Nonetheless, the celebrity duo divorced in 2012, and their divorce was finalized two years later. However, according to reports, the two remain acquaintances.
Three Children
Third-Party
During their tenure on The Voice Australia, Seal was tied to singer/actress Delta Goodrem. Both parties rejected any sexual engagement, though Seal confessed to The Herald Sun how much he admired her. “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
Of course, in addition to his glittering profession and high-profile personal life, Seal is well-known for his distinctive facial scars. Indeed, stories of how he received them have circulated since he came onto the scene in the early 1990s. One of the more famous myths is that he had them in a tragic crash.
Glitz And Glam
Ancient Rituals
Another common hypothesis is that Seal’s scars were caused during an ancient racial rite. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor admitted that he was aware of the allegations. “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 real reason is a disease known as discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), which may leave significant lesions on the skin of those that have it. These wounds usually develop an inflamed, crusty, and scaly red patch and often damage the face, scalp, and arms. In addition, DLE patients are more sensitive to sunlight and ultraviolet rays.
DLE
No Clear Triggers
It is not yet clear what triggers DLE. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, “it is believed to be allergic, with the body’s immune response wrongly targeting regular skin.” According to the Lupus Foundation of America’s wellness instructor Dawn Isherwood, 10% of sufferers would later be diagnosed with full-blown lupus.
No Clear Triggers
Since Puberty
Seal has mentioned in many interviews that DLE first affected him while he was in his adolescence. Along with the visible marks on his cheek, the illness caused his hair to fall out. While these side effects will be with Seal for the rest of his life, he is now thankfully recovering from the disease.
Since Puberty
Still With You
Seal said in a 1996 interview with The New York Times that his illness helped him improve as an 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 revealed that his scars used to discourage him. However, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the singer said his attitude about the scars had changed entirely. In reality, he said, “Now I really like them.”
Discouraged
Others Are Fighting
While Seal may be the only famous face suffering from this disease, many other celebrities are fighting different forms of lupus. Selena Gomez, for one, underwent chemotherapy after her cancer diagnosis in 2013. Toni Braxton, Nick Cannon, and Kristen Johnson are only a couple more well-known names who have fought the illness.
Others Are Fighting
Back To Business
But, for the time being, Seal is back to business as usual. In reality, he returned to London in 2018 for a show that included covers of classic jazz songs as well as his hits. A couple of months back, he performed alongside Herbie Hancock and Bobbie McFerrin at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Back To Business
Others Too
Seal, on the other hand, is not the only star with an intriguing scar. Yes, these 19 actors have scars on their faces as well. Not only can they contain the secret to several exciting tales, but they may even act as poignant reminders of turbulent pasts.
Others Too
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner eventually revealed the truth regarding her scar on her left leg in a 2011 Celebuzz video, sharing a painful tale. Jenner was five years old when she stumbled and fell on a spike; she recalled, “I tried pushing away to bring the pole off, but it just ripped through my entire thigh.” Ouch.
Kylie Jenner
Parminder Nagra
The burn scar on actress Parminder Nagra’s leg is so visible that the writers of Bend It Like Beckham wanted to include it in the script. However, her real-life scar tale differs from that depicted in the film: when she was seven, the ER star inadvertently set her pants on fire when cooking.
Parminder Nagra
Tommy Flanagan
You may be forgiven for believing that Tommy Flanagan’s scars in films like Braveheart are the product of a skilled make-up artist, but they are 100% genuine. Flanagan was knifed in a Glasgow bar before becoming an actress, and he got the notorious “Glasgow grin” – a facial slash from ear to ear. However, the joke is on his bashers, for those scars might have contributed to Flanagan’s fame.
Tommy Flanagan
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco, star of The Big Bang Theory, was left with a massive scar on her left leg after her horse crushed her in 2010. The actress was on the verge of getting her foot amputated, but she survived and is also an avid equestrian today.
Kaley Cuoco
Sean Bean
Sean Bean’s scar has an interesting Hollywood backstory. Bean was employed on the 1992 film Patriot Games set when he was smacked with a boat hook by fellow actor Harrison Ford. Of course, it was just an accident, but it left Bean with this mark under his forehead. It’s visible in The Lord of the Rings, where it’s purposefully left uncovered.
Sean Bean
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi, the Top Chef host, refuses to hide this seven-inch scar on her shoulder, which she got when she broke the leg – and a hip – in a car crash when she was 14 years old. Lakshmi was initially self-conscious about the scar, but she has learned to enjoy it; in a 2001 Vogue post, she said, “The scar has singled me out and made me who I am.”
Padma Lakshmi
Viggo Mortensen
On the set of the Lord of the Rings films, Viggo Mortensen hurt himself so much that it would be shocking if he didn’t have a mark anywhere. The visible spot on the actor’s upper lip, though, predates the trilogy. Mortensen told the Calgary Sun in 1999 that he suffered the accident at the age of 17 from “a mixture of a hand and a barbed-wire fence on an especially poor Halloween night.”
Viggo Mortensen
Luke Perry
The scar that runs over Luke Perry’s brow isn’t apparent now that he’s aged, but it’s undeniably there. As a boy, the actor was regularly involved in extremely risky misbehavior, like jumping out of windows. On the other hand, this scar is the product of Perry running headfirst into a beverage machine at a bowling alley.
Luke Perry
Miles Teller
Miles Teller, the hero of Whiplash, barely escaped an automobile crash when he was 20 years old, and he has the injuries to show it. The actor has publicly stated that he believes his facial marks have prevented him from landing prominent film roles; he has also resorted to laser therapy to eliminate them in the past.
Miles Teller
Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone usually conceals the massive scar on her neck with clever makeup or large necklaces, but her followers are well aware of its presence: not least because the iconic bodily trait once had its page. As a teenager, the Basic Instinct star cut her neck while horseback riding after galloping straight into a stiff piece of rope.
Sharon Stone
Harrison Ford
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, young Indy has a cut on his cheek after hitting himself in the chest with his whip. Harrison Ford’s real-life scar tale is less Hollywood, but no less painful-sounding: at the age of 20, the star injured his jaw when he drove his Volvo 544 directly into a telephone pole.
Harrison Ford
Michael K. Williams
Michael K. Williams was 25 when he was attacked with a knife, leaving him with a substantial vertical scar extending down his forehead. On the other hand, the beating turned out to be a gift in disguise: with the fresh scar, Williams was able to land more gangsta-style acting jobs. He was finally cast as Omar Little on The Wire, and the rest is history.
Michael K. Williams
Steve Buscemi
When shooting Domestic Disturbance in 2001, Steve Buscemi and Vince Vaughn were having some downtime before they were swept up in a very nasty bar brawl. Buscemi sustained possibly life-threatening injuries due to the battle, which left visible marks on his face and body. Yet, only a few months later, the tenacious firefighter-turned-actor was back on the job, volunteering for the 9/11 relief operation – bravo.
Steve Buscemi
Queen Latifah
When Queen Latifah was a kid, she played chase and hit her head, resulting in a two-inch laceration. Latifah, on the other hand, is unconcerned with her scar. “I’d never cover it up,” she told InStyle magazine. It gives my face personality.”
Queen Latifah
Joaquin Phoenix
Since birth, Joaquin Phoenix has had his iconic facial scar. It is affected by a microform cleft, a milder form of cleft lip disease. Furthermore, the Walk the Line star has announced that, contrary to popular belief, he has not undergone any operation to address the issue.
Joaquin Phoenix
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones had a necessary surgery on her windpipe as an infant, 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
Jonah Hill disclosed in a Rolling Stone interview in 2010 that after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, he became a “bad boy.” So when the teen wrecked an SUV and smashed up his thumb, everything came to a head – and after the wake-up call, the star cleaned up his act. “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 reveal an unfortunate tale. When he was 11, the Dirty Pretty Things star was in a vehicle with his father when it collided with a bus. As a result, his father and three others were killed, but Ejiofor survived with critical injury and scars that would haunt him for the rest of his life. As one would imagine, the event had a significant effect on his life, not just because of Ejiofor’s death but also because it seemed to encourage him to make the best of everything that came his way.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Tina Fey
Tina Fey was so aware of the scar flowing down her left cheek that she tried to limit filming to her right side on the set of 30 Rock. And when she informed Vanity Fair about the label in 2008, everybody was stunned. Finally, Fey confirmed that the scar was the product of a brutal, random assault by a man when she was just five years old.
Tina Fey