We were never desperate - Dalton's mom opens up about son's childhood

The last time Sylvia Campbell spoke with her son, Dalton Harris, was in October. Then, the singer had spoken about him growing up in dirt poor conditions.

Campbell insists that things were not as bad as Dalton made it out to be, adding that although she did not get electricity at her home until 2002, they were happy.

"Wi a di first people inna Sanguinetti (Clarendon) have a PlayStation," she said.

Campbell said that her family ate lots of chicken back and tin mackerel for protein, but they were never starving.

She said, too, that the family was never desperate, even though she was forced to go it alone as a single parent. She said that after her son made the comment about growing up dirt poor, he called her and they spoke about it.

"Me a talk to him 'bout long time days and me seh: 'Dalton, a you me a wait pon to buy me dream house'," Campbell said.

The mother of seven, who lives in a rented house in Sanguinetti, is hoping that her son will one day build a two-storey house in the community for the enjoyment of the family.

"Him have a song weh him sing, Pauper. Part of it weh hit me a weh him seh: 'Mi mother need bread and butter'. Me need bread and butter now. A time fi me get me bread and butter now," she said.

"Me want fi can enjoy some a weh him have, if a even fi memba seh a me carry him come here nine months," she added.

DID NOT BENEFIT

Dalton, who won the Digicel Rising Stars competition in Jamaica when he was not yet 17 years old, left his mother's house when he was 15. Campbell said that she did not benefit from his success.

"Me used to pull a little suitcase and sell things and one day him seh: 'Mommy, yuh inna the sun a toil eeh man, but things a go better fi we'," Campbell said.

Campbell said that during the days when she campaigned to help win votes for Dalton when he competed in the Rising Stars competition, her son promised to take her out of poverty.

She said that after he won the competition, he gave her $2,000 and 50 phonecards, and then $20,000 out of his $1 million winnings.

Campbell also rubbished claims that Dalton has 22 siblings.

She said that she is only aware of one son that Dalton's father had outside of their relationship.

"The boy just wicked. Mi nuh know where this 22 come from," she said.

Campbell said events of the past two weeks confirm to her that "the boy don't like me."

And even although Dalton is tipped to win X Factor UK this year, Campbell said she will not be watching it on TV.

"Mi happy fi weh him a do, me feel proud fi weh him a do, and me always a go still love him," she said.

"Me wish him all the best in the competition," she said, even as she appealed to him not to alienate himself from family members back home.

"Him sister dying to see him come, so even if him nah come back come look fi we, I hope him remember a mi still a him mother and him have a sister and brothers who a look forward to see him," she said.

The winner of The X Factor is awarded a £1 million (approximately J$162,632,400) recording contract with Syco Music, in association with Sony Music.