Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, 22, has spoken out on growing up wearing a mask after her late father famously tried to protect his children’s identities. The actress spoke on her new Facebook Watch series Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn, on how wearing masks allowed her and brothers Prince, 23, and Blanket, 18, to grow up in relative normality.

He didn’t want that for us

Paris Jackson

The 22-year- old recalled how thanks to the enormity of Michael’s success as a performer, he was rarely left unsupervised as a child.

Paris recalled: “He would be in the studio and he’d look outside, and he’d see kids on the playground, and he couldn’t do that.”

However, Michael realised that for his kids, he wanted a different and healthier life for them growing up.

She continued: “He didn’t want that for us, so we wore masks.”

Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, 22, has spoken out on growing up wearing a mask (Image: GETTY/WENN)

Paris realised that it would be challenging to maintain normalcy, given the worldwide attention on Michael’s legacy. (Image: WENN)

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The actress believes that because of her late father’s decision, they were able to enjoy activities similar to regular children.

Paris said: “I appreciated it. It was nice. Because we were able to go to Chuck E. Cheese and Circus Circus and we were normal.”

Over time she realised that it would be challenging to maintain normalcy, given the worldwide attention on Michael’s legacy.

She added: “For a long time I was just against letting the world in because I was just too scared to do it.

Paris Jackson believes that because of her late father’s decision, they were able to enjoy activities similar to regular children (Image: WENN)

“I have had to accept the fact that I do not and probably will never have a private life.”

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Throughout the series, Paris has opened up the relationship she shared with her dad Michael, who passed back in 2009.

During an earlier episode of Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn, the former recalled initially struggling to understand her sexuality.

She said: “I didn’t know that it was a thing and so, I was a little conflicted about it because all I’d ever seen were men and women on TV together and so these thoughts didn’t really make sense to me.”

However, Michael “caught on pretty quick,” she said. “I think he just felt the energy and he would like kind of tease me the same way that he would tease my brothers, like, ‘Oh, you got yourself a girlfriend’.”

Paris added: “I’m very lucky to have that, especially so young – I think I was like eight or nine. Because not many children have that experience.”

But she said she withheld the truth about her sexuality after moving in with her grandmother Katherine Jackson, a Jehovah’s Witness, following Michael’s death.

“Homosexuality, in general, is very taboo in the black community,” Paris said. “That on top of the religious aspect, it was something that I did feel like I needed to withhold for a while.”

Paris is launching her own music career and the Facebook series showed glimpses of her at work in the studio with Glenn, who she has been with for a year.

Since meeting Gabriel, the 22-year-old has been on the road to recovery as she continues to work on improving her mental health.

The actress now hope’s that sharing her struggles will inspire others to find “self-acceptance”.

She said: “I still struggle to accept myself, but that’s what I want to influence.