Queen guitarist Brian May has delivered a strong response to sensational claims that his late bandmate Freddie Mercury fathered a secret daughter, dismissing the allegations as complete nonsense.
The Shocking Claims
The extraordinary revelation emerged from an upcoming biography about the legendary frontman, titled Love, Freddie: Freddie Mercury's Secret Life and Love, authored by Lesley-Ann Jones. The book features claims from a woman identified only as 'B', who alleges she is Mercury's biological child, conceived during a brief affair with the wife of a close friend back in 1976.
According to the biography, those closest to the singer, including his Queen bandmates, were reportedly aware of the now 48-year-old woman's existence. The woman known as B claims she maintained a close relationship with her alleged father from birth throughout the final fifteen years of his life.
Brian May's Blunt Response
May's wife, actress Anita Dobson, has now revealed her husband's reaction to these claims, stating they were both left stunned by the allegations. The 76-year-old EastEnders icon didn't mince words when discussing the matter with The Telegraph.
'Why wait this long? Brian thinks it's a load of rubbish,' Dobson declared emphatically. She added significant weight to her husband's position by highlighting her own close friendship with Mercury: 'I knew Freddie really, really well – I was a good friend of his – and I think Brian would trust me with that knowledge.'
In a separate conversation with The Mirror, Dobson expressed curiosity about meeting the woman making these claims, while simultaneously casting doubt on their validity. 'There must be lots of people who have children that we don't know about. It's just because it's him. Because he's iconic,' she observed.
The Doctor Who star further questioned the plausibility of such a secret given Mercury's personality: 'And the type of animal that he was, it seems inconceivable that he would have a child with someone we don't know about.'
Contrasting Accounts and Reactions
The biography presents a very different picture through excerpts seen by The Independent, where the alleged daughter describes a devoted relationship. 'He adored me and was devoted to me,' one passage reads. 'The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people's standards, unusual and even outrageous. That should come as no surprise. It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me. He cherished me like a treasured possession.'
However, these claims face significant scepticism from another crucial figure in Mercury's life. Mary Austin, the singer's former partner and one of his closest confidantes, has previously expressed serious doubts about the existence of a secret child.
Austin, who inherited the bulk of Mercury's estate, told The Times she would be 'astonished' if the claims were proven true. 'Freddie had a glorious openness, and I cannot imagine he would have wanted to, or been able to, keep such a joyful event a secret, either from me or other people closest to him,' she stated.
The woman who shared much of Mercury's private life added that if the We Will Rock You star did indeed have a daughter, it would have brought him 'tremendous joy', as well as happiness to his parents and 'everybody who cared about him.'
While acknowledging that Mercury's parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, would have 'embraced her with all the love in their hearts' if the claims were true, Austin firmly stated she 'does not remember Freddie ever speaking about creating a family.'
The conflicting accounts leave fans with more questions than answers about one of rock music's most enduring mysteries, while those who knew Mercury best remain firmly sceptical about these latest claims emerging nearly thirty-five years after his tragic passing.
