Star Janet denies 'secret' child

Janet Jackson married James DeBarge when she was 18

Pop singer Janet Jackson has denied being the mother of a "secret" teenage daughter after accusations from a former brother-in-law.

"I do not have a child and all allegations saying so are false," Jackson said in a statement released to US TV show Access Hollywood.

Young DeBarge, brother of Jackson's ex-husband James DeBarge, told a radio station the pair had a child, now 18.

He claimed the daughter, Renee, went to live with Janet's oldest sister Rebbie.

"James and the Jackson family kept everything real close, real tight," Mr DeBarge said .

Jackson, 39, and James DeBarge, a singer in the former R&B family group DeBarge, were married for three months in 1984, when Jackson was 18.

She married Rene Elizondo Jnr in 1991, but they separated in 1999.