London, Dec 9 (ANI): Brit soul singer Seal has revealed that he feels very lucky to be married to German model Heidi Klum, especially after the unhappy childhood he had after his mum Adebisi was deported back to Nigeria.

Seal, 46, revealed that at two he was sent to live with a foster family in Romford, Essex, and three years later, he went to live with his father, Francis Samuel, in North London.

But when his father ruled his household with a rod of iron, he left home as soon as he could and ended up sleeping rough.

His tough beginnings fuelled his determination to make something of his life through his music, and remembering those hard times helps keep him grounded.

“I do feel incredibly lucky and pinch myself every day,” the Mirror quoted Seal as saying.

“It’s not all a bed of roses. We have the same issues that other families deal with. But in the grand scheme of things, it is the perfect life.

“There’s an element of luck but the harder you work for and visualise something, the luckier you get. The luck comes in the fact that Heidi and I have healthy children and we are relatively healthy, too.

“I have a job that gives me incredible happiness and satisfaction, and a lifestyle I aspired to as a kid. We can afford luxuries like sending our kids to good schools, which is something I didn’t have - I went to one of the worst schools in England.

“Also I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to put food on the table. But I don’t feel guilty about any of that - I’ve been on the other side of the tracks, I know what it’s like.

“I was homeless at 17 and was sleeping in the Underground and in homeless shelters.

“It’s not like I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

“I was given up for adoption and lived with foster parents so I know what it’s like to have rejection.

“I contracted lupus when I was 21 and it disfigured my face, I didn’t know what the hell was going on and no one was able to diagnose what was going on.

“I’ve paid my dues and don’t feel guilty for the perfect lifestyle people see that we have. Both Heidi and I worked our arses off to get here, no one gave it to us.

“It’s something I visualised from when I was young. I watched programmes like Happy Days and shows with people with perfect lives because my real domestic life was horrible.

“I had an abusive father and a dysfunctional family. That was the place I escaped to when my own everyday life was so s****y that it was the place I took refuge. So when it became my reality, I didn’t feel surprised,” he stated. (ANI)