12 Famous Latinos who had a difficult childhood, but managed to be recognized worldwide and their stories motivate us

Getting to fame is a difficult path, full of work and sacrifice, and if you don’t have the resources to make it through, it gets even more complicated. Some Latin stars know these difficulties very well — their childhoods were marked by complicated moments — but that was no reason for them not to dedicate themselves to their passions and make their dreams come true.

O incredible.club shares with you stories of celebrities, who, despite going through difficult times in childhood, managed to overcome all obstacles.

The actor, born in Sonora, Mexico, is remembered for playing Aurelio Casillas in the series The Lord of Heaven. In fiction, Aurelio is one of the richest drug traffickers in the world, but from humble origins.

Like his character, Rafael Amaya had a difficult childhood: “I was a very poor child. I lived in a small house, there were seven of us, and we had nothing to eat. I used everything my brothers wore, I was a very humble boy and, look, it is possible to dream. If you dream, anything is possible, ”he admitted.

In fact, his life changed when he started his career as an actor in 2000, until he became the protagonist of one of the most popular programs on the Mexican TV network Telemundo.

The Mexican model and TV presenter reached the height of success when she was awarded as queen in the contest Our Latin Beauty🇧🇷 This opened many doors for her, but her successful career is the result of her hard work and dedication, as she does not come from a wealthy family.

Alejandra has ten siblings and, with her parents, they migrated to San Ysidro, California, in order to have a better life. Despite having suffered several shortages, she confessed: “I don’t remember hearing any of my brothers, my father, my mother or anyone complain about having to walk down stairs or having to live where we lived, because regardless of what we had, I can say that I had a childhood that I would never change for the world.”

At webseries Alejandra, from Tijuanathe model shows her homeland, the struggles she faced, and, above all, the pride of belonging to this place.

the reggaeton singer was born in Boston, USA, but grew up in Puerto Rico. He comes from a low-income family, so he worked at a supermarket to help his parents, although this was illegal as he was underage.

His musical career began when he was 11, but he only gained recognition when he worked as a backing vocalist for Daddy Yankee. He established himself as a soloist in 2010, when he resumed work after a dark period, and released the hits “Travesuras” and “El perdón”, for which he won several Latin Grammys.

Twenty-five years after migrating to the United States, the Cuban actor shared his days in Havana on his Instagram: “With only a quarter of a chicken per person per month, one loaf of bread per person per day and limited food rations, I always had hungry. We didn’t have luxuries like toothpaste, so we used charcoal and baking soda.”

His destiny changed when he managed to move with his family to the United States and began his career as a model and actor. At first, he participated in the reality show soap opera protagonists and several soap operas and several Latin films. Years later, William would act in American films such as Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter and Girls Trip.

The American of Puerto Rican parents was born and lived her childhood in the Bronx, a humble neighborhood in New York, USA. She began training in singing, dancing and acting at a very young age, but her mother did not agree with her decision to be an artist. So Jennifer left home and had to sleep at the Baruch dance academy while working at a law firm.

Although in his youth he participated in some series and some little-known films, his luck changed when he got the role of singer Selena Quintanilla, in a biographical film. Since then, she has become one of the most influential Latin artists in music and film worldwide.

The Mexican actor has a long history, having worked in the entertainment industry since 1981. But away from the cameras and success on the small screen, the native of Chihuahua did not have an easy childhood. He never knew his father and, as a child, he grew up in the Black Palace of Lecumberri, a famous Mexican prison, since his mother was the caretaker of the place and could not pay anyone to take care of him.

In an interview, he said: “It is a very special world, which makes you introspective, which makes you value freedom, because you meet people with different characteristics and personalities and that touches you. The images from that time are very clear to me, they are hard to forget and I don’t want to forget them”.

As a teenager, he helped his mother by working in several areas, until his life changed when he participated in his first telenovela, The Home I Stoleand fame was not long in coming.

Although the American actress, whose father is Mexican, did not suffer from hunger in her childhood, it was difficult years for her due to her health. She suffered from various illnesses such as atelectasis, had several pneumonias, appendicitis, a tonsil cyst and asthma. She has also been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and ADHD.

Spending most of his childhood in hospitals and constantly moving because of his father’s job were reasons enough for not having friends. But that didn’t stop her from being happy, and she started her career in her teens and became famous in 2002, with the series Night Gangs.

As a result of her failing health, in 2012 Jessica founded The Honest Co. brand, a company that provides organic products for the home so that children and families are not affected by chemicals and toxins and do not suffer from what she went through in the his first years of life.

“Divo de Juárez”, one of the most popular and remembered singers in Mexican music, had a childhood marked by tragedy. He had ten siblings and, as a baby, his father accidentally started a fire, which led to his being committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Later, he was taken away from his mother and sent to an institute for minors, where he began to write his first songs. In the beginning, he made his living singing in bars, until he recorded the album, No Tengo Dinero, which sold millions of records. That would be the beginning of a successful 40-year long career and a Latin music legend.

The Venezuelan singer lost his father at the age of 6, and his mother was a political activist, which led to her being exiled from the country. The singer, his mother and his 11 siblings were constantly moving as they couldn’t pay the rent, so he started making a living by shining shoes and carrying people’s bags in supermarkets.

He discovered his musical gifts by singing at school and started a band with some friends. Later, he was part of Billo’s Caracas Boys orchestra, in which he excelled and started his way to fame. He currently has over 30 albums and lives in Miami, USA.

The well-known Mexican-American singer was born and spent her childhood in Long Beach, California (USA). At the age of 15, as a single mother, she began to earn a living selling records and cassettes at street markets, while studying Business Administration.

Since she was a little girl, she was influenced by Latin music because of her parents, in addition, they only spoke Spanish at home. Jenni started her career in 1993, but it was only consecrated in 2000, when she released her album That I understand with the bandwhich would mark the beginning of her success and for which she would be considered the greatest female figure in Mexican music.

She was also the official spokesperson for the National Coalition against Domestic Violence in the United States. Her legacy lives on, not only in music but also in the Love Foundation, a foundation that helps mothers and children in situations of family violence and poverty.

The acclaimed musician was born into a farming family in Juliantla, Mexico. That’s why, as a child, he started working selling jams, shining shoes, sowing the land and delivering milk.

As a teenager, he entered the seminary to become a priest, but ended up leaving because he discovered that his business was music. Joan devoted herself to her music career while working as a car salesman, until her first single, “El camino del amor”, became a national and international hit. This led him to record over 50 studio albums and win 5 Grammy Awards and 7 Latin Grammy Awards.

The popular singer of rancheras, a folk music genre from Mexico, was born in Guadalajara, but because of his father’s failure at work, his family moved to Tijuana, where Vicente “Chente” Fernández worked as a handyman, mason, dishwasher , car wash and on a race track to help the family.

With the dream of being an artist, he started singing in restaurants and, although the record companies did not want to hire him and said that “it was better to sell peanuts”, he became famous when he recorded “Cantina de mi barrio” and “Tu camino y el mío ”. Since then, he has become a symbol of Mexican music worldwide, with ten Grammy Awards under his belt and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Do you know any inspiring stories of someone who overcame themselves?