An abusive father, a battle with cancer,
and so much more. Is there no end to the heartache Sharon Osbourne has endured?
Sharon Osbourne was forced to overcome adversity early in life due to the awful
treatment she received from her father, Don Arden. Most shocking was that it was
normal for the man to threaten to kill those he felt wronged him, including his daughter,
per The Guardian. Osbourne revealed more of her father's cruel behavior when interviewed
by psychologist Pamela Connolly on an episode of "Shrink Rap." The TV personality admitted,
"A couple of times he would whack me, and he used to yank my hair. I
wouldn't say I was abused and beaten; in those days it was a normal thing."
Yet after she attempted to downplay the mistreatment, Osbourne shared with Digital Spy,
"As punishment, my dad used to lock me in the unlit coal cupboard in the basement. I still
panic in confined spaces to this day. I won't go on the underground. I hate packed trains."
Sharon Osbourne's dad would eventually find success managing major music acts
such as Little Richard and even Queen for a brief period. However, when Osbourne was very young,
Arden struggled to provide for the family, which meant they were forced to live in a rundown house
in a neighborhood of South London called Brixton, per The Guardian. Due to both financial struggles
and neglect, Osbourne's parents rarely provided school lunches for her in these difficult times.
In her book, "Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography," the music manager explained,
"We were on our own, rain or shine, sometimes with a packed lunch, usually not."
Since Sharon Osbourne was a child, she has been no stranger to severe hardship. One
exceptionally painful instance occurred right on the cusp of adulthood, when she had to make
the most difficult decision of her life. When talking with the Daily Mail, she explained,
"I had an abortion at 17 and it was the worst thing I ever did. It was
the first time I'd had sex, and that was rotten.
I'd always thought it was going to be all violins, and it was just awful."
Given the circumstances, the pregnancy was completely unplanned,
so her mother practically gave her no other option than to undergo the procedure. However,
her mother's involvement abruptly ended at that point, and Osbourne
had to go to the clinic alone. She went on to describe the harrowing experience and said,
"I was terrified. It was full of other young girls, and we were all terrified and looking
at each other and nobody was saying a bloody word. I howled my way through it, and it was horrible."
Sharon Osbourne had formed one of her closest bonds with an older woman named
Rachel Youngblood who became more than just a best friend. In "Sharon Osbourne Extreme:
My Autobiography," Osbourne described how close the two were and said,
"I think I became the daughter she never had. She insisted on calling me Miss Sharon. She was
a very special woman. She would cook for me and take care of me, and I absolutely adored her."
Then came a night on the road that Sharon will never forget. She and Youngblood were
traveling with Ozzy and the band on the tour bus, which stopped to fix the air conditioning. The
transportation hub also had a small airstrip, and the bus driver happened to be a pilot,
so he offered to take small groups up into the sky for some fun as the repairs were
made. Youngblood and guitarist Randy Rhoads chose to go for the ride. It quickly turned
out to be the most unfortunate decision they ever made, as the plane crashed shortly after takeoff,
killing everyone onboard. When Sharon recalled the extremely painful event, she said,
"The horror of that day and what happened to two
of the people I loved most in the world will never go away."
The relationship between Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne has certainly had its difficult moments,
but overall, the marriage has been one of the brightest spots in her life. Therefore,
it is especially terrible that her own family members attempted to sabotage it after the
couple wed in 1982. Sharon's father, Don Arden, and her brother, David, were not pleased that
she'd taken over as manager for Ozzy and took shocking steps to get him back on their side.
"If you want something bad enough, you'll do that little bit extra to get it you know."
In Sharon Osbourne's autobiography, she revealed,
"So they take Ozzy to lunch, and proceed to tell him that I'm insane,
that I am the reason ELO [rock band Electric Light Orchestra] left my father, but that Ozzy
doesn't have to worry because they can get the marriage annulled on the grounds of my insanity…"
Thankfully, Ozzy did not fall for the ploy. Arden had failed to separate Sharon from Ozzy
but succeeded in doing significant damage to his relationship with his daughter.
While Sharon Osbourne's mother, Hope Arden, was never the kindest woman,
an unfortunate accident dramatically altered her personality, adding more strain to their
already tense relationship. When traveling in their car, they were struck by a drunk
driver. Everyone survived unscathed except for Hope, who suffered a severe head wound.
After Arden recovered in the hospital for a month, Sharon finally visited her and later
recalled the difficult moment in her memoir and how scary it was to see her mother in bandages.
Osbourne's mother was never the same and over the decades, the already-weak bond
between mother and daughter deteriorated so badly that even after Arden died, Osbourne admitted,
"If I ever thought about her, it was just as a sad bitter old woman with a
cigarette in her mouth and a diamond on her finger worth over a million pounds."
Another truly heartbreaking detail about Sharon Osbourne's adult life is that she
struggled greatly with a few of her pregnancies. When talking with the Daily Mail, she explained,
"When I tried to have children, I lost three—I think it was because something had happened
to my cervix during the abortion. After three miscarriages, they had to put a stitch in it."
On top of the difficulties that arose from the procedure, Osbourne told The Guardian
about another traumatic experience that led to the loss of one of the infants while she
was pregnant. When visiting her mother at home, Hope Arden's dogs inexplicably attacked Osbourne.
As she recalled in her autobiography, by the time her mom called off the animals,
the damage had been done and Osbourne had a miscarriage the following day.
Because of the horrid way he treated her for so long, Sharon Osbourne cut ties with
her father for decades. Not only that, but she even told her kids that he was dead long
before he actually passed away in 2007, per The Guardian. However, in the chaotic period
when Sharon and Ozzy were trying to separate their careers from Don Arden, he successfully
manipulated her into doing something that would cause massive problems for her later.
As Sharon was trying to pack up her belongings to move out of Los Angeles,
her father's bookkeeper arrived and convinced her to help her father one
more time. In her book, "Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography," she wrote,
"So just to get rid of him I said, 'F— it,
all right.' One last and final f—--- time. I signed my name at the bottom of a tax return."
It was not until 2003 that Sharon realized the terrible mistake she had made nearly
20 years earlier when she was given a massive tax bill for $2.5 million.
At that point, Sharon simply did not have that kind of money, but fortunately Ozzy did. If he
had not been able to help, she would have found herself in some serious trouble.
With a career in the music industry and a husband who heavily used drugs and alcohol,
Sharon Osbourne also drank heavily—until she realized it had to end. Sharon said in her memoir,
"My wake-up call was when I looked in the mirror that morning and hadn't recognized the person
who looked back. One eye was completely closed, and that side of my face was navy
blue tinged with green. But worst of all, I had no memory whatsoever of it happening."
Fortunately, Sharon didn't have a serious addiction at that point and
stopped before her drinking got too out of hand.
For over two decades she didn't have more than one drink on any occasion.
"It's gonna be okay. Ultimately, everything's going to be okay."
The love and support Sharon Osbourne has received from Ozzy has been one of the best parts of her
life, but there have been some very dark moments in the marriage as well, especially early on.
"I'm not going to cry about anything because there's nothing to cry about."
Two of the worst times occurred when he knocked her teeth out on
one occasion and attempted to strangle her on another. Given the shocking treatment,
it is no surprise that Sharon did consider divorcing Ozzy, but ultimately realized that
she loved him too much. She also acknowledged that her behavior could be volatile, too, such
as when she once hurled a full bottle of scotch straight toward his head during an argument. So,
with all the turmoil at home, Sharon made it her top priority to set a good example for
their first child together, Aimee, born in 1983. She admitted to The Guardian,
"Being born into this family. I was very very worried for her. But I knew that if
I protected her enough and showed her the right way, she'd stay on my path."
On top of Sharon Osbourne's own struggles with drinking,
as well as witnessing the extremely negative effects on her husband, Ozzy,
she then had to see her son, Jack, have similar serious issues with addiction.
"It shouldn't happen but it does. You know, that's the nature of the disease of addiction."
To Jack, the problem was almost unavoidable as he explained in his book,
"21 Years Gone: The Autobiography," when he said,
"I was well used to seeing alcohol and drugs. Not only had I grown up with it
as a result of my dad's addictions, they were part and parcel of life on the road. You just
couldn't escape them because most of the time half the bands were drunk or high…"
Jack's fight to get himself clean was much more difficult than his mother's had been,
but with the support of Sharon and the rest of the family, he was convinced to enter rehab in
2003. After resisting the process in the treatment center at first, he soon became
dedicated to his recovery and managed to kick his terrible habits like his mother before him.
For some time, Sharon Osbourne had a major health concern that went almost completely
undetected until it became life-threatening, because the symptoms had been so minor. On
"TalkTV," she described the shocking way the ailment crept up on her and said,
"I was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, and it was in my lymph nodes as
well. It had spread. And the only thing I had was I was very tired."
"It's not like I woke up one day and it got to stage three. It took time to get to stage three."
It was difficult to catch since fatigue was her only symptom, but the moment more serious
signs emerged, Ozzy was quick to convince Sharon she needed to seek medical attention. She said,
"And I was just covered in bruises. And he just said you've got to go, you know, get this sorted."
Fortunately, treatment began in time, but her condition could have easily become so much worse.
Sharon Osbourne has endured significant struggles with several loved ones throughout her life,
but nearly on par with those conflicts is the personal battles she's faced.
Her harmfully low self-esteem regarding her body image has led to all sorts of issues,
the least of which is emotional pain. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Osbourne explained,
"I'd be fretting, going through the wardrobe ten times trying to find something to wear,
not wanting to go out because I was hideous. I'd never want to make love with the light on.
I would roll myself not only in the sheet, but the duvet and the bloody pillows."
But that insecurity did not compare to the damage caused by the eating disorder she developed. Far
too often she would eat to relieve stress, and she has spoken bluntly about her experiences
with bulimia. Osbourne described how the tragic process basically became normal as she said,
"The food is piled up to my throat. Then I have to
go and be sick. I don't even have to make myself sick. It's automatic."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).