These Raw Details From Grace Jones' Personal Life Might Surprise Even Her Biggest Fans

Grace Jones is surely one of the most fascinating celebrities of recent times. She’s magnetic, difficult, intimidating, bizarre, and totally unique. And fittingly, her life story is filled with excitement, controversy, and triumph over adversity – with some raw details that may shock even her most dedicated fans.

She had a strict religious upbringing

Jones grew up in Jamaica with her grandparents, as her parents both worked in the U.S. The household was extremely religious – they all went to church three times a week. In a 2008 interview with The Guardian, Jones likened it to being “force-fed” religion. She believes this repressive upbringing actually made her the rebellious free spirit she is today, though.

She was shy with only one school friend

As hard as it may be to believe, given she has made a career out of being confident in herself to an almost pathological degree, Jones was apparently a shy child. She reportedly only had one friend at school in Jamaica, where she was bullied for being too skinny. One saving grace, though – if you’ll forgive the pun – was that she excelled at sports as a youngster.

Backing her brother made her rebellious

Jones’ brother Christian was a brilliant keyboard player who directed the choir at the church that the family attended. But, as she told newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald in 2008 he was “born swishy.” The implication is that her religious parents worried he was a homosexual; they eventually stopped him from singing and playing piano in the choir. Christian argued with his parents, and Jones took his side – her first act of rebellion.

Her real age is a mystery

Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica. That much is known for sure. But even though her birth year is mostly listed as 1948, she disputed that in her 2015 autobiography, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs. She wrote, “They say I’m a lot older than I actually am. In the press, on the internet, they add about four years to my actual age. I don’t care at all. I like to keep the mystery.”