Los Angeles, March 15 (IANS): A woman named Tiffany Whyte has claimed she is a secret child of singer Janet Jackson and her first husband James DeBarge.

Whyte claims the former couple had her during their marriage in the mid-1980s. 

"I've been kept a secret (for) a very long time. I want people to know the truth," Whyte, who hails from Philadelphia, told radaronline.com.

In 2012, DeBarge, 53, claimed that he and Jackson had given a child up for adoption before their split in 1985. However, the singer never publicly commented on the scandal. 

Jackson welcomed a son named Eissa with her third husband husband Wissam Al Mana earlier this year. She was also married to dancer Rene Elizondo Jr from 1991 to 2000.

Whyte said that Jackson has been "denying" her for many years.

She said she "waited for 31 years" for Jackson and revealed she first came to believe she was Jackson's daughter "roughly seven years ago" when she was approached by a woman claiming to be the singer.