Opening up about his own struggle with being bullied, the 'Circle of Life' singer advises other victim to speak out, snitch on their bullies and try to defend themselves.
- March 29, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Being an adult and having a megastar status do not mean that Elton John can escape bullying. The "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" hitmaker has gone candid about being a victim of bullying, revealing in a new interview with E! News' David Burtka, why a number of important people in his life saw him as a perfect victim.
"It was about control and them being able to keep me under their thumb," the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer first pointed out. "And I was the perfect candidate for it." He went on explaining, "Even though I was famous and a big deal, it doesn't matter, it's who you are underneath that, and I was always kind of shy and intimidated."
Describing his own tormentors, 65-year-old John remembered, "One was violent and the other two were mentally violent." While he didn't name names, the six-time Grammy winner spilled, "They were very important people in my life. They were important people in my career and and in my personal life."
Having experienced first-hand how it felt like being bullied, the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" singer has some words of advice for the other victims. "Speak out, speak out. Snitch on them," he encouraged them. "Try to defend yourself, not like me, who hid it and thought it was OK to just go on like it."
John also wanted the bullies to know that their insecurities drive them to do so. "You need to consider your consequences," he added. "I'm sure underneath it, you're all very nice people. We've all made mistakes in our life - this is a good time now to correct your mistakes and help people. We have to nip this in the bud, too many people have died. Too many young people have committed suicide because they've been frightened of 15-16-year-olds."
