Anthony Hopkins Reaches Out to Estranged Daughter in New Memoir
In his new memoir We Did OK, Kid, Sir Anthony Hopkins opens up about his strained relationship with his daughter, Abigail, expressing his enduring love and regret over their past.
"I hope my daughter knows that my door is always open to her. I want her to be well and happy," Hopkins wrote.
"Until the day I die, I will never forget the sight of her in that crib, laughing up at me when I walked into the room the first year of her life, sleeping soundly the night I left. I will always be sorry for hurting her when I left the family, even as I believe to this day that I had no choice."
Hopkins shares Abigail with his first wife, Petronella Barker, whom he married in 1966 and divorced in 1972. The actor revealed details of their turbulent marriage, worsened by his battle with alcohol, which ultimately led him to leave the family.
After beginning his journey toward sobriety, Hopkins sought reconciliation. In 1997, when Abigail was nine years old, he traveled to London to meet her and Barker.
"We put up a good front, but obviously so much damage had been done. They didn’t want me there. Throughout the meal, they kept catching each other’s eye and making faces," he recalled.
Hopkins also shared memories of Abigail visiting him as a teenager, hinting at brief moments of reconnection amid a complicated relationship.
Author’s Summary
Anthony Hopkins reflects on past mistakes and extends an open invitation to his estranged daughter in a heartfelt memoir about remorse, love, and forgiveness.