Opinions & Features

Here is how Seal got his scars

For years, Seal has been famous for his music as well as for his marriage to supermodel Heidi Klum. Born on February 19, 1963, the singer rose to fame with his eponymous debut album in 1991 and has since enjoyed a successful career as a singer and TV judge. Best known for his song Kiss From A Rose, his other major hits are Crazy and Get It Together. To date, Seal has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.

Over the years, fans have often asked how the iconic singer got the scars on his face. People have fabricated stories about the scars. However, the truth is, it is a medical condition. He has those scars due to a type of lupus called discoid lupus erythematosus. It is a chronic skin condition that involves inflammation, sores, and often large scars. It mostly affects the face, scalp and ears.

“DLE is a disfiguring disease in which the immune cells attack the skin from underneath, creating inflammatory areas and scarring of the scalp, ears, face, and sometimes chest and arms. The scars that form from the disease are permanent, so prevention and early treatment is the best management,” Jessica Krant, MD, MPH, a board-certified dermatologist, explained.

Born Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, Seal, whose mother is Nigerian and father Brazilian, contracted DLE at age 23 and has been in remission for many years. The scars are however permanent and the Grammy award-winning singer has been wearing them proudly.

Seal in recent times started his new career as a TV judge. He was a judge on the first two seasons of The Voice Australia between 2012 and 2013 before becoming a guest judge on Pitch Battle. The British singer was also a guest judge on the 2017 series of America’s Got Talent alongside his ex-wife Klum.

The two got married in 2005 but divorced in 2014. Seal and Klum had three children together. Seal also adopted Heidi’s first child from a previous relationship. The singer and the American-German model were one of the most visibly in love celebrity couples at the time but just like any relationship, they had challenges.

For decades now, Seal and Klum have been co-parenting their four children. When asked recently about their co-parenting arrangements, the 58-year-old singer said: “It can be challenging. It requires teamwork. If you are a team, if both parents are a team, then it is really easy and that’s not a real challenge at all.”

“But you have to be a team. And if you’re not a team, then it can all fall to pieces,” he told Us Weekly.

Mildred Europa Taylor

Mildred Europa Taylor is a writer and content creator. She loves writing about health and women's issues in Africa and the African diaspora.

Recent Posts

‘It felt really scary’ – 14-year-old Nigerian ballet sensation on learning he’s largely blind in one eye

Anthony Madu, the 14-year-old Nigerian dancer from Lagos who gained admission to a prestigious ballet…

2 days ago

‘I remember the day when 56 dollars would change my life’: Wayne Brady reveals humble beginnings

Actor-host Wayne Brady recently opened up about his early financial struggles in his now thriving…

2 days ago

This 1-year-old loves to greet people at Target, so the store hired him as its youngest employee

Mia Arianna, also known as @mia.ariannaa on TikTok, helped her son become an honorary team…

2 days ago

Postman drives 379 miles at his own expense to deliver lost World War II letters to a family

Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…

2 days ago

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed becomes Kenya’s first-ever female air force head

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…

2 days ago

All Benjamin E. Mays High School seniors gain admission to HBCU Morris Brown College in surprise announcement

Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…

2 days ago

Meet the formerly incarcerated single mom who has gone viral for passing bar exam on first try

Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…

2 days ago

New York attorney accused of hiring hitman to kill Zimbabwean ex-wife sentenced

A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…

2 days ago

Cher, 77, who is dating 38-year-old Alexander Edwards, explains why she dates younger men

During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…

2 days ago

11-year-old accidentally shot to death by 14-year-old brother with stolen gun

Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…

2 days ago

16-year-old Ethiopian Hana Taylor Schlitz breaks sister’s record to become the youngest graduate from TWU

The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…

3 days ago

Tahra Grant is reportedly the first Black woman to be Chief Comms Officer at a major Hollywood studio

Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…

3 days ago

How Ashley Fox quit her Wall Street job and built a startup to financially empower those Wall Street would never talk to

Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…

3 days ago

‘It wasn’t worth it’ – Tyra Banks says the first time she drank alcohol was when she was 50

Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…

3 days ago

Brazilian woman who wheeled dead uncle to bank to withdraw his money is being investigated for manslaughter

A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…

3 days ago