Mariah Carey’s father-in-law James Cannon says his son, Nick, would never cheat on Carey — even though other women surely came on to him.
James further told a Page Six source that Nick and Carey could’ve been a Hollywood “power couple” — like “Jay Z and Beyoncé” — if only Cannon concentrated more on Carey’s career, and that Carey is “an angel.”
A devout Christian, James said outside his California home of recent reports Carey grew jealous of Nick being surrounded by other women on the road: “The only thing I can say is that sometimes marriages break down because of cheating or beating, but that’s not this case. Were temptations ever there with other women? Not for Nick, he genuinely loved the married life.”
He added: “But did that stop other women coming to him? Probably not. I know Nick tries really hard to stay focused and would say: ‘I’m with the most outstanding, gorgeous woman. I’ve hit the jackpot so why would I be with someone else?’”
James admitted that the split came as a complete shock to the Cannon clan.
“I’m shocked because everything was beautiful as far as I knew,” he said. “It’s an out of the blue situation… The separation has really caught us off guard, but I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”
He defended his daughter-in-law, “Vision of Love” crooner Carey — who’s had a reputation at times for being a prima donna — as down-to-earth. “Mariah was a beautiful part of our family. She was here at our home two weeks ago, talking and laughing with us all. I didn’t see any problems between them. Everything was beautiful. I’ve never seen them argue, fuss or go at each other. I see Mariah as an angel to our family and an angel to my son.”
And, “I never saw Mariah as a diva, I love the way she handles herself. She’s a real talker and there’s no snobbishness in her attitude.”
James further theorized that if his son had only collaborated professionally with Carey, it would’ve saved their relationship.
“If Nick could have somehow ran her business or worked in conjunction with her they would have been such a power couple in Hollywood,” the concerned father said. “It’s difficult, but look at Beyonce and Jay Z… If that means Nick needed to step aside from his business and taken a lead on Mariah’s work then I think it would have pushed them on a whole new level.”
He added that the pair never spent enough “quality” time together as they pursued separate careers and were pulled apart.
“They are living a dream life with teams of people pulling them separate ways, so they get tired and exhausted – and that’s when you make mistakes,” James said. “It would be my hope that they can find a way to save this marriage.”
But either way, “Whatever decision [Nick] makes I’m going to support him.”
Page Six reported that Carey and Cannon’s marriage was on the rocks, and the “America’s Got Talent” host has publicly admitted, “There is trouble in paradise.”
Carey meantime was spotted in New York on Monday strolling with her relative, Shawn McDonald. She famously footed his Harvard Law School tuition bill. Maybe he was giving her legal advice?