Amid rumors that Janet Jackson is planning her wedding to Wissam Al Mana, the truth came out: Janet Jackson has been officially married to the billionaire businessman for a year - but the media never knew until now.

In a statement issued exclusively to Entertainment Tonight, Jackson and Al Mana said, "The rumours regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony. "Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favourite children's charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy. With love, Wissam and Janet."

The couple got engaged in Dec. 2012, Us Weekly reported, but Jackson hasn't worn her ring publicly. "She's afraid it will get lost, so she keeps it locked up!" a source told the tabloid.

This is Jackson's third marriage -- she split from longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri in 2009, and she was previously wed to James DeBarge and Rene Elizondo. She tried to keep both of those relationships hidden from the public, as well, Us Weekly reported.

A source who knows Jackson told Us Weekly that Jackson looks forward to starting a family with Al Mana, who she began dating in 2010.

"She wants kids," the source said. "If she can't have them, she will adopt."

Other celebrities have also attempted secret weddings, ABC reported. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds; Rosie O'Donnell and Michell Rounds; Beyonce and Jay-Z; Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; and Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied have also had weddings hidden from the media's eye.