News | Entertainment
16 Jul 2025 10:38
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Sir Elton John had no self-esteem as an adult because of the way he was treated as a child in the 1950s

    The 74-year-old pop legend - who was born in 1947 - has opened up about what it was like to grow up in England during that decade at a time when schools still used corporal punishment to discipline pupils


    He said: "The self-loathing, not having any self-esteem, that all comes from when I was a kid. That’s the way it was in the 50s – you got slapped round the face, you got a good hiding. ‘It was bloody good for you’ – it wasn’t good for me. It left me walking on eggshells.”

    The 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' singer later struggled with addiction as he was topping the charts around the world with his music, but he has admitted he was too afraid to open up about his trauma and the reasons for his substance abuse until getting sober.

    In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, he shared: "All my life, until I became sober, I was afraid of talking to anybody. They asked me when I went to treatment how I felt and I said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t feel anything.’ I came to defrost, as it were, and discovered I did have feelings, and they went back a long time. And I think it stays with you for the whole of your life … I just have terrible feelings about myself; I feel bad about myself sometimes."

    Elton later spoke of how he has used his life experiences to reach out and help fellow pop star Olly Alexander, who he performed 'It's a Sin' with at the 2021 BRIT Awards.

    The 'Starstruck' singer - AKA Years & Years - was enduring a period of depression when Elton came to his aid.

    Elton said: "Olly [Alexander] was down in the dumps recently, and I just said, 'Go out, have fun! Sit there alone, and that ball comes down like in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' - an avalanche of bad feeling.”

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     16 Jul: Eric Idle feels "lucky" to be alive
     16 Jul: Rihanna has "always wanted" a baby girl
     16 Jul: Rita Ora thinks mutual support is the key to her marriage to Taika Waititi
     16 Jul: Sarah Jessica Parker refuses to watch And Just Like That...
     16 Jul: Lala Kent knew about Brock Davies' affair before it became public knowledge
     16 Jul: Billie Lourd's kids will "freak out" about her Smurfs role
     16 Jul: Kelly Clarkson cried after cancelling the opening night of her Las Vegas residency
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    All Black Sevu Reece has declared himself ready to return to the test arena More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Inflation's back on the rise around the world More...



     Today's News

    International:
    Donald Trump announces trade deal with Indonesia with a 19 per cent levy to be imposed 10:37

    Motoring:
    Whakatane's Reid Road is closed between Cross Road and Awahou Road following a serious two-vehicle crash 10:27

    Entertainment:
    Eric Idle feels "lucky" to be alive 10:10

    National:
    Lagos is young and diverse, so what shapes ethnic and religious prejudice among teens? Our study tried to find out 10:07

    Soccer:
    The Club World Cup in Trump's America showed co-hosting the biggest global sport event may be an issue 10:07

    Living & Travel:
    Air New Zealand has dropped to tenth when it comes to punctuality - despite being named the world's safest airline 10:07

    Entertainment:
    Rihanna has "always wanted" a baby girl 9:40

    Business:
    Inflation's back on the rise around the world 9:27

    Entertainment:
    Rita Ora thinks mutual support is the key to her marriage to Taika Waititi 9:10

    Entertainment:
    Sarah Jessica Parker refuses to watch And Just Like That... 8:40


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd