Sia’s estranged husband dubs her “unfit” to raise their son, she hits back with “weaponising” substance abuse claims

Sia has accused her estranged husband of “weaponising” her history of substance abuse, after he alleged that she is “unfit” to raise their son.

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The pop star (real name Sia Furler) filed for divorce from her husband Daniel Bernard in March, citing “irreconcilable differences”. They had privately welcomed their son, Somersault Wonder Bernard, last year after getting married in late 2022.

Earlier this month, court documents claimed that Bernard was demanding $250,000 (£187,000) per month in spousal support. The filings stated that he had been “financially dependent on Sia” and was seeking the payments to maintain his “luxurious and upper-class lifestyle”.

Now, it has been reported that Bernard has filed legal documents this week in a request to be granted sole custody of Somersault (via Music News).

He alleged that Sia was an “unfit” parent, claiming that she posed a “serious and immediate danger” to their child. Bernard, who is a former radiation oncologist, cited Sia’s documented struggle with sobriety in the documents.

“Sia is an unfit and unreliable parent struggling with substance abuse and addiction, rendering her incapable of providing safe or stable care for Summi,” he wrote. “I am the only safe and reliable parent for our son. I am a doctor, young, healthy and have no criminal history or drug or alcohol addiction issues.”

Additionally, Bernard claimed that Sia had never taken on a “primary caregiving role” for their child. He alleged that she “delegated nearly all child-rearing responsibilities to a revolving team of nannies while she maintained control from a distance”.

According to People, Bernard alleged that Sia had been hospitalised for two weeks in September, and tested positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

“Sia’s conduct is reckless, dangerous and demonstrates Sia’s utter disregard for Summi’s safety and well-being,” Bernard wrote, while also requesting $77,245 (£58,442) a month in child support.

Sia responded to the claims by accusing her ex of “weaponising” her history of substance abuse. “I have been fully sober for over six months and working my program which includes weekly testing and a sober companion,” the filing read.

“My recovery has been a cornerstone of my life and one of the primary reasons I chose to separate from Dan, whose ongoing engagement in a nightlife and recreational drug-use lifestyle is incompatible with a healthy environment for our child.”

In the previous court filings this month, Bernard said that the temporary support order he was seeking was “necessary” because Sia was “the breadwinner in our marriage”. He wrote: “We never needed to monitor our living expenses.”

He also said he had quit his job to run a short-lived medical business with her. Bernard added that, to renew his certification and practise as a doctor again, he would need to complete several years of training and pass numerous rigorous exams.

In 2019, Sia adopted two 18-year-old boys who were ageing out of the foster care system. The singer divorced her first husband, filmmaker Erik Anders Lang, in 2016.

Sia opened up about receiving treatment for substance abuse during an interview in 2023, where she also revealed that she had been diagnosed with autism.

“When we finally sit in a room full of strangers and tell them our deepest darkest most shameful secrets and everybody laughs along with us, and we don’t feel like pieces of trash for the first time, we feel seen for the first time in our lives for who we actually are and then we can start going out into the world as operators just operating as humans,” she said.

The post Sia’s estranged husband dubs her “unfit” to raise their son, she hits back with “weaponising” substance abuse claims appeared first on NME.