Gavin Rossdale admits to gay relationship with 80s pop star Marilyn

Experimentation: Gavin Rossdale has admitted a fling with Marilyn
11 April 2012
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Gavin Rossdale had an affair with male pop star Marilyn.

The Bush singer - who is now married to No Doubt star Gwen Stefani - had a fling with the gender-bending singer in the 1980s but didn't admit to the relationship before because of the "glare" of the media.

Gavin said: "I think at the outset there was a sort of fear - that was right at the beginning of Bush, and I didn't want it to be part of it. It felt like a cheap shot, so I was like, 'I'm not getting involved.'

"I've never wanted to appear closed about it. It's not something I've talked about really because it's always been in the glare of a tabloid world. It's just one of those things - move on.

"When you're 17, Jesus Christ, I don't think there's anything strange about any form of anything - you're learning about life. It's a part of growing up. That's it. No more, no less."

Asked if it was a one-time experimentation, he said: "Yeah. That was it. You have to know what you like, and I know what I like."

Gavin has also spoken candidly about his relationship with his 21-year-old model daughter Daisy Lowe.

The 44-year-old musician admits he feels more like a friend to Daisy - who he only found out was his daughter in 2004 after her mother Pearl Lowe revealed her parentage - because he wasn't involved in her childhood like his two sons, Kingston, four, and Zuma, two, with Gwen.

Gavin - who had been Daisy's godfather - added in an interview with Details magazine: "With the boys it's traditional. I'm all they know and I'm with them all the time. With Daisy, I don't know her in that context.

"The way I nurture those boys, I never got a chance with Daisy. I love my connection with her, but I don't have any say in who she is. With the boys it's my job to correct them and shape them. With Daisy, I just have to be respectful. I suppose it's more like a friendship."

Marilyn previously claimed he had a five-year relationship with Gavin which he agreed to keep secret for the sake of his rock career.

Marilyn - real name Peter Robinson - said: "He was the love of my life. We were together five years, but it felt like 40. He was just becoming successful in America. I agreed to lie against every grain of my being."

The androgynous singer's close friend Boy George alleged the two men had a relationship in his autobiography 'Take It Like A Man'.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in