U2's Bono discovers one of his cousins is his half-brother after father's 'affair'

U2's Bono has revealed one of his cousins is his half-brother after the Irish star's dad reportedly had an affair.

Bono, 62, first spoke about the infidelity on Desert Island Discs in June.

He told presenter Lauren Laverne: "“My father was going through a lot. His head was elsewhere because his heart was elsewhere.

“It’s a very close family and I could tell my father had a deep friendship with this gorgeous woman who was part of the family, and then they had a child and this was all kept secret.”

Now the singer – real name Paul Hewson – has claimed the woman was his Auntie Barbara and that their child is a stock market analyst called Scott Rankin.

Barbara was married to Jack Rankin, the brother of Bono's mum, Iris.

Bono opened up about his family life on Desert Island Discs (AFP/Getty Images)

Bono learned about the infidelity in 2000, a year before his father, Bob, died of cancer.

Iris Hewson, the singer’s mum, died in 1974 when Bono was 14. She never knew about the affair, according to the father-of-four.

"The truth is with Scott, we felt like brothers long before we knew we were. I love Scott and his mother, Barbara,” Bono told the Irish Times .

He continued: "I must have known that something was up, and I must have held my father responsible for kind of making my mother unhappy in the way kids just pick up things."

The star's mum died when he was just 14 (AFP/Getty Images)

The With or Without You star spoke of his grief after the loss of his mother at age 14, saying: “These things that shape us are huge gifts in the end.”

“At least they were to me because the wound that was opened up by my mother’s passing so quickly... became this hole, this void, that I filled with music,” he added.

Bono credits his wife Ali Hewson for supporting him with the pair celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year.

The couple were high school sweethearts, with Ali telling the Telegraph in 2008: “He was my first real boyfriend.

The singer with his wife and daughters (Bono)

Bono and his wife have four children together.

Their first child, Jordan Hewson, was born on May 10, 1989 and their second, Eve Hewson, was welcomed into the world on July 7, 1991.

Elijah Hewson arrived on August 17, 1999 and John Hewson was born on May 21, 2001.

Actress Eve earned rave reviews for her role in Netflix's Behind Her Eyes.

The celeb offspring played troubled wife Adele in the British noir psychological thriller, which kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout.