Jimmy Carr has declared his father Jim is 'dead to him' following their 21-year estrangement.
The British-Irish stand-up comedian and television presenter, 49, who recently confirmed he is a first-time dad after welcoming a son Rockefeller with his partner Karoline Copping in 2019, shed light on his own parental relationships with his dad.
Speaking on Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell podcast,
Jimmy told how he wants to have a healthy relationship with his son as
he didn't have such a bond with his own dad, who he previously accused
of harassment.
Jimmy said: 'It's not a secret, I haven't seen my dad in 21 years and you know the line, 'My mother's dead and my father's dead to me' – which sounds very cold, until you meet the guy.'
On his dad, whose full name is Patrick James Carr, Jimmy continued:
'It's a weird thing where I'm acutely aware that things don't always
work out. I'm aware that sometimes it goes the other way and that could
be terrible. There's no bitterness and there's no anger there.
'I want the best, I just can't have that guy in my life.'
Jimmy admitted he sometimes worries about what kind of relationship he
might have with his own son when he grows up because of his own issues
with his dad.
He said: 'There's a bit of sadness there and you worry, 'Could something
go wrong with my kid?' You want to prevent that, but it's hard. I think
it's about being a father and being that figure for him but not in any
way controlling.'
Jimmy's mother Nora died in September 2001 and he hinted his relationship with his dad turned sour around this time.
Back in 2012, Jim spoke out about their fractious relationship in which he disclosed that Jimmy had 'disowned him'.
He wrote in The Daily Mail: 'I supported him financially, too, well into
his 30s, enabling him to live rent-free in the family home and paying
for all his expenses: his bills, petrol, even his food.
'Despite all of this and the loving bond we once shared, Jimmy cut me
out of his life eight years ago. It was sudden and brutal, and to this
day, I have not been given an explanation...
'I am not ashamed to say that on occasion the depth of my estrangement
from Jimmy — and from my two other sons Colin and Patrick, who have also
cast me out of their lives — has brought me to tears...
'The loss forms the backdrop to my daily life and remains a pain I cannot eradicate. Such is Jimmy's hostility towards me that I have even been banned from watching him perform.'
