Rachel Crow [photo: Fox]
According to an article in the New York Post (which a rep for "The X Factor" confirmed to Yahoo! is entirely true), America's new sweetheart incredibly endured horrific conditions in a crack den before being adopted as an infant. Thirteen-year-old Rachel's adoptive mother, Barbara, told the Post this week: "She was born a crack baby and actually lived in a crack house and suffered a lot of abuse." Thankfully, Rachel was taken in as a foster child when she was 6 months old by the Crows, who legally adopted her one year later and raised her to be the irrepressible bundle of sunshine we see on TV today.
"She is totally unaffected by [her past]," Barbara, a former hospital counselor, took told the Post. "She never looks at [her past] in a sad way. She looks at it as that is what made her the person she is."
Right now, Rachel's biological parents are totally unknown, and they likely have no idea that they sired a future superstar. "[Rachel] came to us through Social Services," Barbara explained to the Post. "In situations like that, it is a little more dangerous, so they keep everything sealed. It is not like entering into a typical private adoption. This is where parental rights were terminated, and the child suffered a lot of abuse."
While Barbara has said she "would just like 10 minutes" with Rachel's birth parents, Rachel has expressed no desire to meet them. "I have two amazing parents already," Rachel told the Post. "It is crazy because everybody is like, 'She is not your real mom.' And I am like, 'Yeah, she is!'"
Rachel Crow [photo: Fox]
It's interesting that "X Factor" producers, who are often quick to capitalize on contestants' juicy sob stories, chose not to focus on Rachel's harrowing history, instead just painting her out to be a happy-go-lucky, untroubled child. But there's little doubt that now that Rachel has shared her shocking saga herself, it will only inspire viewers to love her more, as she chases her own dreams.
Related links:
Ex-contestant Christa Collins discusses her backstory
Ex-contestant James Kenney dishes the dirt
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