Pattie Mellette is a scriptwriter and producer, but these days, she’s mostly recognized as the mother of pop star Justin Bieber.
However, not many people are aware of her and the challenges she has faced throughout her life…
Justin Bieber is one of the biggest stars globally, and many believe that the Canadian singer has everything anyone could ever want.
But even famous individuals have their own struggles and go through tough times, often without the public really knowing. Justin Bieber’s relationship with his mom, Pattie Mallette, has had its ups and downs – and given her difficult past, it’s not surprising that things became complicated.
Pattie Mallette was born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, and she has French-Canadian heritage. Sadly, her early childhood was overshadowed by a terrible tragedy. When Pattie was only 2 years old, her 5-year-old sister, Sally, was struck by a car while trying to cross the street and tragically lost her life. This heartbreaking incident would have a lasting impact on Pattie’s family and her early years.
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Pattie had Justin when she was only 17. She was a single mom and was used to facing challenges. According to Daily Mail, Pattie raised Justin all on her own in a low-income housing area in Canada. She did get some support from her parents, who are Justin’s grandparents.
Pattie has said that she faced years of different kinds of abuse and violence, starting when she was just 3 years old. She explained:
“My abusers include a male babysitter, the grandfather of one of my friends, and kids from the neighborhood who were said to be more mature than their age,” she explains.
When she reached 14, she began experimenting with different substances. During this time, she also started stealing from stores and got kicked out of school for igniting a fire in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the sexual abuse persisted. In her book, Pattie shares her experience of being date-raped at 15.
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“I was sexually assaulted so many times that over the years it started to feel normal. It’s a weird situation – knowing something is wrong but at the same time feeling like it’s just part of life,” she mentioned.
As a kid, Mallette found a love for acting and singing. By the time she was nine, she was appearing on local TV shows like Romper Room and Big Top Talent, a children’s talent show aired in her region.
At 15, she began a relationship with Jeremy Beiber. Their romance lasted four years, but she ran away from home when she was 16. She managed to survive by stealing and selling drugs.
“My childhood was really tough,” Mallette told George Stroumboulopoulos, as cited by Cosmopolitan. “I had a passion for the arts that I share with Justin, and we kind of connect over that.”
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As her past and present habits started to catch up with her, her mental health got worse.
After feeling really sad and having thoughts of ending her life for a long time, the 17-year-old tried to take her own life. She was sent to a mental hospital that practiced Christian conversion therapy.
Once she got out of the hospital, Mallette reached out to old friends and coworkers who didn’t share the same new religion she had found. That’s when she got back in touch with Jeremy Beiber again.
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After dating for six months, Pattie found out she was going to have a baby. Justin was born in London, Ontario, on March 1, 1994.
Even though Pattie and Jeremy kept dating for a little while after their son was born, they eventually decided to split up after just a few months.
Despite everything she had gone through, Pattie was a caring and involved mom. She supported Justin in his love for music and even helped him enter the 2007 Stratford Star talent competition when he was a teenager.
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The now-star singer placed second for his rendition of Ne-Yo’s “So Sick,” and Pattie posted the video of his winning performance on Youtube. The video, in addition to the subsequent ones she continued to post online, gained much popularity over time.
Mallette’s autobiography was published in September of 2012 by the Christian publishing house Revell.
The book, titled “Nowhere But Up,” focused on not just Pattie’s difficult upbringing but also how she used faith and love to gain optimism and be the best single parent she could be for her son.
Today, their relationship has changed.
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“When your kids reach a certain age, your way of parenting shifts, and it’s tough to let go,” Mallette shared with People in 2013, when her son turned 19 years old.
“His life was my life, and now I’ve had to give him some space and let him be independent. It’s hard not being able to control everything that your grown child does.”
After his big success, Justin Bieber found himself in trouble with the law. He was arrested in 2014 when police had to stop him around 4 a.m. for street racing.
That event caused some distance in the relationship between mother and son.
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“I never wanted my mom to feel let down by me, and I knew she did. We didn’t talk for a while, so it takes time to rebuild that trust… it’s tough, but it’s getting better. She’s an incredible woman, and I love her,” the star told Billboard in 2015, as quoted by Cosmopolitan.
But now, that time in Justin’s life is almost forgotten, and Pattie is really proud of her son.
“I’m so proud of the wonderful young man you are and the one you are becoming. None of us are perfect and we never will be, (so we will always need patience and grace for each other), but your real growing relationship with Jesus shows in the choices you make every day and the good ‘fruit’ you produce. I admire your character and integrity. You are growing beautifully and are wise beyond your years,” she posted on Instagram.
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While Pattie was certainly challenged throughout her younger years, her turn to grace is truly an inspiration. Share this story on Facebook if you agree!
