The Voice Pain on set

The Voice coach is still haunted by his turbulent childhood and its devastating effect on his sibling

He’s one of the nation’s favourite coaches on The Voice, but beneath Culture Club star Boy George’s outgoing exterior lies a harrowing history of domestic abuse and murder that’s left a scar on him for life.

In 1995, George’s world fell apart when his younger brother Gerald O’dowd – who was tormented by schizophrenia – was detained in a mental health unit after stabbing his wife Gill to death.

Following the horrific crime, former boxer and bricklayer Gerald handed himself into police and presented them with a knife wrapped in a towel, telling them, “I think I have killed my wife”.

George says his family were in “absolute disbelief” over the incident. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” adds the singer.

It was later concluded Gerald – who pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility – was suffering from delusions and he was detained in a secure facility for the mentally ill.

Fast-forward two decades and the 56-year-old is still working through the trauma.

Opening up while filming The Voice, George – who has battled drug addiction and spent time in prison – admits he “wouldn’t be here” if it wasn’t for his family’s support over the years.

“They are everything,” he stresses, struggling to hold back his emotions.

While Gerald went on to study at university, it’s clear George partly blames their abusive dad Gerry, who has since passed away, for being a factor in his sibling’s shock actions.

“The experience Gerald had with my father was the opposite to me,” he says. “I did everything not to be like my father and Gerald jumped through hoops to please him

‘I don’t remember anything from the age of 10. I wiped out all that’

– either way, there was no joy.”

George would go on to deal with his dad’s temper in his own way – by blanking out his childhood completely. “I don’t remember anything from the age of 10,” he says. “I probably wiped out all that.”