Seal Shares What It’s Like Raising His 4 Kids: ‘You End Up, If You’re Lucky by the Grace of God, with Friends’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Seal’s kids are all grown up!

The 61-year-old musician shares four children with ex-wifeHeidi Klum— daughters Lou, 15, and Leni, 20, and sons Henry, 19, and Johan, 18 — but, according to him, they’re not exactly kids anymore.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at Media Row in New Orleans ahead of the2025 Super Bowl, the “Kiss from a Rose” singer opened up about what it’s like as a father to four now that his kids (save for the youngest, Lou) are adults.

Seal (middle left) with his girlfriend Laura Strayer and four kids, Leni, Lou, Henry and Johan in January 2024.Monica Schipper/WireImage

Monica Schipper/WireImage

“They’re not kids anymore. They’re adults with opinions and views on life and different philosophies,” the star told PEOPLE on Friday, Jan. 7 while chatting alongside NFL star Deebo Samuel (who isalso a dad).

Seal and Heidi Klum with kids Henry and Leni in 2006.Clive Brunskill/Getty

Clive Brunskill/Getty

Being a father to adult children, he told PEOPLE, has “been amazing.” When your children grow up, Seal explained, “You end up with these great friends now that you can have real conversations with, and you get to learn from your mistakes as a parent.”

“And as they get older, you see that they understand that because they become adults themselves, and they realize how difficult it is to be a parent,” he continued. “In fact, it’s the hardest job in the world in that you can’t make mistakes, but the reality is youdomake mistakes.”

Seal with his sons in 2010.Kevork Djansezian/Getty

Kevork Djansezian/Getty

“They don’t care about those, they care about if you tried, if you tried your best as a parent,” the musician added. “And luckily — I can’t call them kids — the sons and daughters that I’ve raised, they’ve seen that I tried my best.”

Added Seal: “I wasn’t always perfect, but I tried my best.”

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Though both Klum, 51, and Seal are quite private about their children, theProject Runwayhost recentlyshared a rare post about Henry as he followed in her modeling footsteps. The proud mom posted a video of his runway debut at Paris Fashion Week last month on Instagram, and wrote that she is “so proud of” the 19-year-old in the accompanying caption.

Seal with daughter Leni in 2012.Stephen Dunn/Getty

Stephen Dunn/Getty

Last fall, Seal alsoshared a rare parenting post, though his was dedicated to Leni. Alongside a snap of the father-daughter duo, he wrote, “In NY with the young woman who changed my life for the better 19 yrs ago. Thank you Leni for making me a better person 🥹🥹🥹,” before signing off the message with: “Love you, papa.”

Leni, meanwhile, reciprocated the love, commenting, “So cute! I love you papa ❤️.”

source: people.com