Jimmy Barnes has publicly acknowledged his eighth child, adult daughter Katy Lee Carroll, for the first time. The singer shared the news on Instagram on Monday night, stating that Carroll came into his life five years ago and that the family has been getting to know her since.
Barnes wrote: 'Christmas is all about family, and we would like to introduce my daughter Katy Lee, who has been in our lives for the past five years. Katy is a wonderful woman and since discovering that I was her biological father, our family and extended family have loved getting to know her.'
Carroll is Barnes’ eighth known child, joining eldest son David Campbell, as well as his four children with wife Jane Mahoney: daughters Mahalia, Eliza-Jane and Elly-May, and son Jackie. In 2010, Barnes discovered he had two other adult daughters, Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn.
Carroll, who works as a real estate agent in Coffs Harbour, chose to go public after receiving repeated phone calls from an anonymous caller asking if she was Barnes’ daughter. In her own statement, she said: 'Five years ago, I found out that my biological father is Jimmy Barnes. Since that moment, I’ve been embraced by the Barnes family with love, warmth and incredible understanding.'
Barnes noted his daughter's desire for privacy, adding: 'We have always respected her very strong desire to keep her family life private and will continue to support her.' The singer returned to touring in October with Cold Chisel following health issues, including open heart surgery and a recent infection.
