Paul Young’s four children have refused to attend his recent wedding because they are still grieving the death of their late mother, MailOnline can reveal.
The 67-year-old ’80s singer married his fiancée Lorna Young, 56, at a London registry office on Friday, six years after his wife Stacey lost her battle with cancer.
Their daughters Levi, 36, Layla, 29, and sons Grady, 27, and Jude, 12, were conspicuous by their absence, leading fans to speculate why they weren’t involved.
But a friend told MailOnline that Paul’s children would have found it “too painful” to see him remarry and are still “hurting” at his loss.
The friend said: ‘The children are still deeply grieving for their mother.
“It would have been too painful for them to see him marry again, so they stayed away.
‘Attending such a big event where all eyes would be on them when they are still grieving would have been too much.
‘Both Paul and Lorna understood the decision.’
Paul Young, 57, married his fiancée Lorna Young, 56, last Friday at a London registry office, six years after his wife Stacey lost her battle with cancer.
Stacey, who appeared in the video for Paul’s second single Come Back And Stay in 1983, died aged 52 in January 2018 following a two-year battle with brain cancer.
Pictured here are Paul and his ex-wife Stacey with their daughters Levi and Layla and sons Grady and Jude in 2016.
MailOnline has contacted Paul’s representatives for comment.
According to another family source, Paul’s children celebrated with the newlyweds later that evening at their home, as well as with other relatives of the singer from Luton, his hometown, in a more private setting.
However, this has not yet been confirmed and her children, namely her two daughters who are active on Instagram, have not celebrated the occasion on social media. They also do not follow Lorna.
Paul’s eldest daughter Levi is a tech entrepreneur who previously appeared on BBC1’s Dragons Den and his younger sister Layla is a model who married husband Chris Jacobs in May this year.
Layla posted a photo on her Instagram Stories on the day of the wedding in which she appeared to be working on a fashion shoot.
Paul also has a son Grady and a stepson Jude.
His late wife Stacey had Jude during a brief relationship with Israeli businessman Ilan Slazenger while she had separated from Paul in 2006.
Paul married Stacey in 1987. They were together for almost 20 years before briefly splitting in 2016, when Stacey had Jude with Slazenger.
Paul confirmed during his appearance on ITV’s Loose Women that Jude was conceived while he and Stacey were taking a break from their marriage, debunking rumours that she had been having an affair.
When they got back together, the Love of the Common People hitmaker became his stepfather and claims that Jude’s biological father is “50 percent involved” and that they are like any other “blended family.”
The 1980s pop singer took to Instagram to share a loving photo of himself and his fiancée.
Stacey received her diagnosis when she and Paul had been married for 30 years – the same year the musician turned 60 (pictured: Paul and Stacey in 2013)
Stacey, who appeared in the video for Paul’s second single Come Back And Stay in 1983, died aged 52 in January 2018 following a two-year battle with brain cancer.
She received her diagnosis when she and Paul had been married for 30 years, the same year the musician turned 60.
She tragically passed away two years later, with Paul announcing on Twitter: ‘Sadly, Stacey passed away today after a two-year battle with brain cancer.
‘She died peacefully at home surrounded by family, friends and her four children Levi, Layla, Grady and Jude.’
In an interview with This Morning in 2018 about her death, Paul said: “We made the most of those two years. And as a family, we agreed that we (he and his children) wanted to get to work and do something positive.
“That was what I was most proud of. She was so happy for me when things started to look up again. (We’re a close family), we see each other all the time.
“When she first got sick, we all said we would cut out sugar because it makes cancer worse, so we did it as a show of solidarity with Stacey.”
A mutual friend introduced Paul to his new wife Lorna, who lives in Roscommon, Ireland, and they moved in together in December 2021. He proposed two years later.
Lorna runs Paul’s company and is a familiar face to his loyal fans who attend his concerts, and was herself an aspiring musician in her youth.
Paul and Stacey married in a romantic ceremony in 1987 and had three children together: Levi, 36, Layla, 29, and son Grady Cole, 27 (pictured in 1989).
The couple looked very happy to become husband and wife during their ceremony in London.
His wife is also a widow, having lost her husband of 27 years to suicide in 2018. She cared for him for ten years before he took his own life.
They share a son named Aaron, 25, who gave an emotional speech at Paul and Lorna’s wedding, hours after walking her down the aisle.
In a video Lorna posted on Instagram, she says: ‘Paul, when you met my mother, it was unfortunately a time in your lives where you were both dealing with loss and in my opinion what makes this marriage so special is that it shows the world that love really does heal.
“I’ve never seen my mother so happy and consistently happy, and it takes a special kind of person to make that happen.”
Paul looked dapper in a navy suit at the nuptials, while Lorna dazzled in an elegant white lace gown with pearl detailing.
He later posted a tribute to his new wife on his Instagram account, writing: “Meet the new Mrs Young! Today I married the most wonderful girl… thank you Lorna, this is one of the happiest days of my life.”
Mailonline revealed last week that the couple’s decision to tie the knot did not come as a surprise to their friends.
One told MailOnline: ‘Paul and Lorna have a deep connection.
‘They bonded through pain and came into each other’s lives at the perfect time.
“It was wonderful to see them celebrate their love together by getting married, you could tell they were both in love.”
