Anthony Hopkins Sends Message to Estranged Daughter Abigail in Memoir
In his new memoir We Did OK, Kid, Anthony Hopkins opens up about his complex relationship with his estranged daughter, Abigail, expressing regret and hope for reconciliation.
"I hope my daughter knows that my door is always open to her. I want her to be well and happy," Hopkins, 87, wrote in the book published on November 4.
"Until the day I die, I will never forget the sight of her in that crib, laughing up at me when I walked in 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. He describes their turbulent marriage, heavily affected by his struggle with alcohol, and his eventual decision to leave the family.
When he began his sobriety journey, Hopkins made efforts to reconcile, apologizing to both Barker and Abigail. In 1997, he flew to London to meet his daughter, who was nine at the time.
"We put up a good front, but obviously so much damage had been done. They didn’t want me there," Hopkins recalled. "Throughout the meal, they kept catching each other’s eye and making faces."
Hopkins also mentioned that Abigail stayed with him a few times during her teenage years, though the relationship remained distant.
Author’s Summary
Anthony Hopkins reflects with heartfelt honesty on his strained bond with his daughter, offering an open invitation for reconciliation despite the pain of their shared past.