TORONTO — Justin Guarini, who lost the American Idol season one finale to Kelly Clarkson, said Wednesday he is struggling financially.
In a message posted on his website, the 34-year-old singer detailed the challenges he faces with wife Reina Capodici and their five-month-old son and two-year-old son.
“I have spent days skipping meals in order to make sure I have enough,” he admitted. “To make sure my children, and my wife have enough.”
The website disappeared Thursday.
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On Twitter, Guarini confirmed the post was legit but insisted: “I’m nowhere near poverty.”
In the blog post, Guarini said his wardrobe is a mixture of “gift-suite holdovers, things I bought when I had money but no style, and H&M.”
He added: “I am struggling to make each day meet the next without breaking down and curling up. I’ll smile, and laugh, and joke, and entertain…because sometimes it’s the only way to keep the ghosts of regret and loss at bay.”
In addition to co-starring with Clarkson in the flop From Justin to Kelly in 2003, Guarini released a self-titled album that failed to take off. He followed it up in 2005 with an independent album, Stranger Things Have Happened, and a three-song EP in 2008.
Guarini has had several theatre roles since Idol, including regional productions of Rent and Chicago. He had a role in the Broadway production of American Idiot in 2011 and will be part of the cast of Romeo and Juliet — which stars Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad — on Broadway next month.
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