Hugh Grant has described fatherhood as both the ‘worst and best’ time of his life as he discussed ‘trying to be a young father in an old man’s body’.
The actor, 60, admitted parenting his five young children is ‘rough’ but ‘absolutely worth it’ as he gave a rare insight into his family life.
The Love Actually star said he is very ‘silly’ as a father, but added that he is not sure his children enjoy his playful behaviour as they often ‘roll their eyes’ at him.
Fatherhood: Hugh Grant has described fatherhood as both the ‘worst and best’ time of his life as he discussed ‘trying to be a young father in an old man’s body’
Speaking in this week’s issue of Radio Times magazine, he said: ‘I’m trying to be a young father in an old man’s body and it’s rough, but it’s absolutely worth it. It’s just damned nice, isn’t it? You need a family. I get that now.’
Hugh admitted that since becoming a parent himself, he has slowly turned into his own father without even realising it.
He explained: ‘At some point, you turn into your own father. You don’t realise you’re doing it, but you do. I bark in exactly the same way that he barks at me. I make a ridiculous grimace when I’m doing very easy tasks, just like him.
‘Stylistically, I’m probably more like my mother than my father. As children, she was quite silly with us with lots of silly voices. I do that with my children, but I’m not sure they enjoy it. They roll their eyes half the time.’
The actor shares three young children with his wife, Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, including a son John, eight, and a daughter, four, whose name is not known.
He closely guards his private life and has not revealed the gender of his youngest child, born in 2018.
Bachelor: The actor, 60, (pictured in 2005) admitted parenting his five young children is ‘rough’ but ‘absolutely worth it’ as he gave a rare insight into his family life
Hugh also has two other children with his former on-off ex-girlfriend, receptionist Tinglan Hong, daughter Tabitha, nine, and son Felix, seven.
The Notting Hill star described fatherhood as both ‘the worst and best’ time in his life when speaking to the Radio Times.
He continued: ‘Anyone with young children would probably agree that it’s simultaneously the worst time in your life and the best. On a day-to-day basis, as you tread on another broken toy with a hangover, it’s just awful.
‘But when you look back at the photographs on your iPhone, you realise, “Oh, I have been extremely happy. This is very nice”.’
Hugh, who is starring as a father in new miniseries The Undoing, has had five children in nine years after previously living a carefree lifestyle.
Family: Hugh Grant has three young children with his wife Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein (pictured in February), and another two children with Tinglan Hong
But the Four Weddings and A Funeral actor previously told Virgin Radio that his perceptions of having children were ‘plain wrong’ during his days of being a bachelor.
He said: ‘Children, you know. I used to roll my eyes. People would say, “Oh Hugh you don’t understand it”, but they were right.’
Read the full feature in this week’s issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now
In September 2011, his then-girlfriend Tinglan, a receptionist, gave birth to his daughter Tabitha.
A year after Tabitha was born he had a son, John, with Anna.
The following year he broke up with Anna and reunited with Tinglan, with whom he had Felix.
‘I’ve been having a child every Thursday recently,’ he remarked dryly at the time.
In December 2015, while back with Anna, he had his fourth, a second girl, whose name has not been revealed.
He and Anna then had another child, also so far unnamed in public, in early 2018 and married in May of that year.
The actor is starring in new HBO drama The Undoing alongside Australian actress Nicole Kidman, which is set to premier on October 25.
Read the full feature in this week’s issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.