Hugh Grant admits he became a father to his five children ‘much too old’ in life

Actor Hugh Grant, known for being notoriously private about his family life, has revealed his greatest regret after becoming a father.

Hugh Grant has candidly admitted that he had his children “much too old in life”, after welcoming his first at the age of 52.

The actor said that becoming a father had given him a “heart,” however, it would have been better to have started at a younger age.

“I had them much too old in life,” the Notting Hill star told the SmartLess podcast. “You know I started when I was 52.”

Grant shares three children – Blue, 6, Lulu, 8, and son John Mungo, 12 – with his 41-year-old wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein. The pair married in 2018.

British actor Hugh Grant with his wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein share three children. Picture: AFP

He also has a daughter Tabitha Xiao Xi, 13, and son Felix Chang Hong, 11, whom he shares with ex-partner Tinglan Hong, 45.

Grant also shared his pride in his romantic comedy legacy and how fatherhood has deepened his acting abilities.

“I think I was a dried-up, middle-aged, golf-addicted Englishman,” he said.

“Then I had children and suddenly I had heart and I had more layers, or something.”

And while the 64-year-old said he was “proud” to have made so many romantic comedy films because they had “entertained people”, he prefers his more recent serious roles.

Hugh Grant admits that he had his children “much too old in life”. Picture: AFP

“When I got too old and ugly to do romantic comedies, and started being offered these weirdo parts, it suited me better,” he said.

Grant has kept details about his children private in the past, but in recent months has been more forthcoming.

Last week, he admitted that while he loved the fun of being a parent, sometimes he just wanted some time alone.

Sophie Thatcher, Hugh Grant, and Chloe East attend the premiere of their latest film Heretic. Picture: AFP

“I mean, there’s a lot to dread, because I’m old and it’s noisy and it’s unbearable,” he said. “And I do a lot of hiding in the loo. I do a lot of sleeping in there now. There’s a lock, but they’ve pretty much broken it now.”

Grant’s latest movie Heretic is a psychological thriller which sees him playing a creepy Englishman Mr Reed, who claims he’s discovered the “one true religion”.