Oscar-nominated actor Hugh Jackman has revealed his parenting has been shaped by his own upbringing after his parents split when he was just seven.
His mum and dad, Christopher and Grace, moved to Australia from the UK, as '£10 Poms' and went on to have five kids before their break up. Hugh, the youngest, was badly affected by his mum leaving.
"My mum's departure was a big, defining moment for me. It was terrible. I couldn't quite understand it, and I kept thinking that she'd come back. But she never did," Hugh told the Telegraph.
Despite that, Hugh, now a dad of two, stays in touch with his mother, who now lives back in the UK.
"She comes to visit us, and when I'm in England, I go to visit her, and we've always had a good relationship," he said. "I know a lot of people would assume I'd be angry with my mum, but it's never really felt like that. We've had many chats about what happened and exorcised our demons. She's very open, and I've always found it easy to talk to her so it hasn't been something that has forced me into therapy. I think on some level I understand, particularly as an adult now, what she did and why it happened."
The star said his father was 'unbelievable' after the breakup, and looked after the family without ever cracking.
"I never saw him crack. I also never heard him say a bad word about anyone, including my mum. I still look up to him tremendously, and I guess that being brought up by him has informed who I am and what I aspire to be. I feel that if there are strengths and qualities of my personality, I get them all from him. For me, he's always been a kind of rock," Hugh said.
Hugh, 44, has two adopted children, Oscar, 13, and Ava, eight, with his wife, Australian actress Deborra-Lee Furness, 57.
He said their road to parenthood had been 'painful' after discovering they could not have children of their own.