Yahoo News McFly's Danny Jones says parents' split made him 'the man he is today'
McFly's Danny Jones says the 'massive bout of anxiety' he suffered when his parents split in his teens helped him become 'stronger' and 'more of a man than he'd ever be'.
The singer and guitarist, 36, spoke to Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time, and said he regretted not being able to just have a chat with his dad before he left, but that he took on the role of 'peacemaker'.
Before the split, Jones said he 'idolised' his dad, though doesn't have much of a relationship with him any more.
He said: "It was hard. I wish I knew what I knew now, to just have a have a chat with him at the time.
"But I was an absolute peacemaker, I was scared of emotion. I was scared of talking real, real talk, because I wanted everything to be perfect."
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The current Celebrity Masterchef contestant also said the experience had led him now to think that if he couldn't control something 'why worry about it?'
"And if it sounds like fun, let's do it," he added. "Because I had a massive bout of anxiety when I was 19, when my dad left."
Saying he felt sorry for any kid whose parents had split up, he said the main thing is that the parents are 'adult' about it, keeping in touch and living up to their responsibility.
"It's hard for a kid because you crave that [stability] and you miss it," he said. "But I feel like I've become way more of a man than I'd ever be before because I've learned a lot from it.
"I've achieved so much and it's made me hungrier and I'm not scared of stuff. I've become stronger."
Jones also spoke on the episode about the importance of being able to speak honestly with his McFly bandmates, Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd, and about the band's hiatus from 2016 which came with stories of infighting and jealousy.
He's brought lessons to his own parenting as well, with his four-year-old son with wife Georgia Horsley, a former Miss England who he has been married to for eight years.
Jones said: "What I try and teach my son now is that emotions are okay. Show me your emotion, I want to feel it I want you to talk to me.
"That's the best way of solving anything, and I'm still learning to this day. I'm still bad at talking."
He said he knew now it was okay to not always understand our emotions.
"On Father's Day, I'm angry," he admitted. "But then that's getting in the way of me having a good time with my family and my son."
While he said there was still anger and sadness, he was now at a stage where he could appreciate what he had, and realised he couldn't control what he didn't have.
Read more: McFly sought group therapy before making their comeback
He knows what he needs in his life, and he thinks it's the same thing many people want: stability.
"I was very quick to get my stability, he explained. "My stability was Georgia, was my house. It could be anything for you. It could be a job, it could be whatever.
"Anyone who's feeling a little lost in the world, I think just finding your base, finding stability. For me, personally, my sanctuary is my home. I love it. And my family."
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