Julio Iglesias has a secret son as a result of an 1975 affair with a Portuguese ballerina, according to a DNA test.
It has confirmed a long-running paternity claim by a 40-year-old man in the Spanish city of Valencia.
Javier Santos and his mother first alleged in the early 1990s that he was conceived during a 10-day liaison with the Grammy award-winning singer. But the claim was flatly denied by Iglesias, who at the time of the alleged affair who was married and expecting a child with Isabel Preysler.
Then a teenage student, Mr Santos secured a court ruling in his favour but Iglesias brought a successful appeal and the case was eventually dropped.
Now the 40-year-old, who himself aspired to a musical career and brought out a single “Give Me Another Chance” in 1996, will once again sue for official recognition by the singer, this time with unassailable DNA evidence on his side.
Mr Santos’ lawyer, Fernando Osuna, told La Vanguardia that his client was now “encouraged” to pursue a paternity suit, which would be submitted in the coming days.
73-year-old Iglesias, who now lives in Miami, has not commented on the results, which came in at the maximum probability possible of 99.9 percent.
The revelation means Iglesias – recognised in 2013 as the highest selling Latin artist in history – is now officially a father of nine. He already has two sons – including pop star Enrique – and a daughter with Ms Preysler, as well as three sons and two daughters with his current partner, Miranda Rijnsburger.
Mr Santos was able to secure the DNA test by invoking a provision in the Spanish constitution that gives any citizen the right to have their paternity investigated. Another high profile claim is currently making its way through the courts: a judge last month ordered the exhumation of the body of Salvador Dalí to settle a claim from a TV fortune teller that she is the secret daughter of the Surrealist genius.
The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation is currently fighting that order, and earlier this week the renowned forensic doctor who embalmed the artist suggested the chemicals used would have destroyed any genetic material.
[Source”indianexpress”]