Inside Vanessa Amorosi’s horrific relationship with her biological lounge singer father that saw the pop star break down in court – as it’s revealed her siblings have taken mum’s side

EXCLUSIVE

Australian pop star Vanessa Amorosi can’t remember the day her biological father left for good, but she remembers the feeling of relief all too well.

From the outside, Frank Amorosi was a beloved singer and entertainer.

Behind closed doors he was a monster.

The surprise revelation was aired in Victoria’s Supreme Court this month, where Vanessa went to war with her estranged mother Joyleen Robinson over allegations she mismanaged the singer’s money.

It came as the growing Amorosi family feud also came to light, with Vanessa’s sisters Natasha and Mellissa standing side by side with their mother every day as she went to court.

Vanessa made a big impression in 2000 thanks to her performance at the Sydney Olympics and hits such as ‘Absolutely Everybody’.

Her father had also made a career out of performing on stage, albeit on a small scale compared to the heights Vanessa reached over the past twenty years.

Although Frank had tasted some success as a recording artist, he often performed only as a warm-up act for real stars.

Frank (left) and Vanessa Amorosi (right) when she claims he abused her family

Vanessa Amorosi became a big hit in 2000 thanks to a series of hits that went around the world

The Glenroy RSL charged $8 a head to see him sing in 2014, the year he died aged 60.

Nevertheless, Frank was a beloved regular at pubs, clubs and RSLs across Melbourne, and his talent agents promoted him because he had a voice similar to legendary crooner Tom Jones.

In the 1980s, smorgasbord aficionados at The Swagman in Ferntree Gully fondly remember him performing cabaret tunes there.

In the spotlight, Frank was a dynamic personality, full of fun tunes and charisma.

But in court this month, his daughter Vanessa struggled to describe her relationship with her “abusive” biological father – saying “difficult” was probably an understatement.

“I don’t know if you’d say it was hard. When Frank, my real father, and my mother separated, it was one of the best moments of my life,” she said.

Vanessa told the court she was too young to remember exactly when Frank left.

She explained that her stepfather Peter Robinson, a simple electrician who remains loyal to her estranged mother, was the man she considered her real father.

‘Peter came along when we were very damaged and he really helped us have a better relationship with a male figure. It took a long time, but we did it,” Vanessa told the court.

Vanessa Amorosi (pictured outside the High Court in Melbourne) was taken to reminisce about her abusive biological father Frank Amorosi

Joyleen Robinson (third from left) walks into court, accompanied by husband Peter (left) and daughters Mellissa (second from left) and Natasha (right)

Peter married her mother in 1994 when Vanessa was just 13 years old. The wedding took place at the family home in Emerald, where Vanessa had grown up before Frank left.

“I have a lot of emotion when I talk about Peter because my real father was very violent,” Vanessa told the court.

Just the question about her upbringing brought the star to tears, forcing judge Steven Moore to take a break so she could compose herself.

“I’m sorry, I’m very distracted thinking about my father,” she said, referring to Peter.

In his last year of life, Frank regularly posted old photos and videos of him singing on social media.

He gave occasional updates on Vanessa, basking in the reflected glory of a daughter who despised him.

A message written months before he died read: ‘Vanessa, when she was 8 years old and Mellissa (his other daughter) was 6 years old, they used to watch me perform the production shows at the front, sitting on the edge of the dance . floor.’

“Now Vanessa is a huge star in the US,” he wrote.

Although Frank acknowledged that Vanessa did not want any contact with him, he wrote lovingly about her talent.

‘Vanessa is great, she’s never had singing lessons. “I remember Vanessa and Mellissa singing songs from the radio at the age of 6 with perfect pitch and harmonies, better than the original artist,” Frank wrote.

‘My ex and I look at each other and say: where the hell did that come from? We were both singers, but Vanessa and Mellissa’s standard was far above and better than ours.’

Frank claimed he had the flu just days before his death in 2014, and told friends he was recovering.

When he died in October that year, Vanessa was living in the United States, ready to stoke the feud with her mother that would end in a Melbourne courtroom nine years later.

The civil lawsuit found that the singer earned just under $1 million in 2001 after exploding onto the Australian music scene during the 2000 Olympics.

But in late 2014, she was evicted from her US property after apparently running out of money.

Frank and Vanessa Amorosi are depicted at a happy moment during her childhood

However, the happiness would not last, as Frank knew and openly admitted to his followers

Frank Amorosi spent his last years performing for the elderly in retirement homes and pubs

Vanessa was suspicious of her mother’s handling of her fortune and had hired forensic accountants to investigate how she had handled her wealth.

This month, Vanessa explained in court that 2014 had been a bad year.

“Around the end of 2014, when I knew I was going to lose the property, there was a lot of unrest and I couldn’t get answers as to what had really happened and why I was going to lose my house,” she said.

“And I also had to deal with the death of my real father.”

The accusations against Joyleen had driven a hard wedge between Vanessa and much of her family.

Vanessa said that when she asked her mother to show her where all her money went, she made it a “standoff.”

“When I asked my mother that question, my siblings (Natasha and Mellissa) got very angry, so there was a war between the family,” she said.

Vanessa claimed that when she returned to Australia while pregnant in 2015, she was refused entry to her own home.

‘I kept questioning my mother, so everyone got quite angry, and that was it. It was very clear to me that I was not welcome to come home,” she said.

The family had been a close-knit unit in the years after Frank moved.

Frank’s violent abuse had been the very reason why Vanessa’s mother claimed to have gifted her the Narre Warren North estate that has torn the family apart – his presence torments them even in death.

“When I married my first husband, I was an abused wife. She always said she would make me a beautiful home and take care of me,” Joyleen told the court.

“I didn’t want to take that much money from my daughter, so we had an agreement that I thought she understood that if she needed the money, I would sell (my house), which would require working three jobs.”

Judge Moore will announce his decision at a date to be determined.