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Eric Roberts has shared how his former drug addiction affected his relationship with his daughter, Emma Roberts.
The 68-year-old actor spoke candidly about his recovery after years of drug use in his new memoir, Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So FarIn 1991, Eric and his then-partner Kelly Cunningham welcomed their first and only child together, Emma Roberts. When the former couple split up when Emma was just a baby, Eric lost custody of her and addressed the custody battle in his memoir.
“Of course, the biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma,” he reportedly wrote. People.
He acknowledged that during the custody battle his sister, Julia Roberts, ultimately stood by Cunningham, as Eric was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time. While Eric did not detail how Julia sided with her ex in the legal case, he wrote that Pretty woman The star made the right decision.
“I imagine I will remain Julia’s brother and Emma Roberts’ father for the rest of my life,” he wrote. “I would like to honor my word, to step aside with pride and grace. That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book.”
The Independent has contacted Emma's representatives for comment.
While Emma has kept her relationship with her father private, he has spoken about it before. During an appearance on Steve Kmetko's show Still here Hollywood In a July podcast, Eric claimed he was not allowed to speak publicly about his sister or his daughter, who recently got engaged to partner Cody John.
“I love my sister, but I can’t talk about her. She doesn’t want to talk about it,” she said at the time. “And besides, my daughter also told me not to talk about her, but I trip over myself and do it. I’m not supposed to talk about either of them, but I do.”
However, he didn't hesitate to gush about his daughter's acting career and all she has accomplished. “I'm in love with my daughter's work these days, I can't believe how great she's become,” he said. “I'm so proud of her that I can't see straight.”
Eric shared similar sentiments about Emma during a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s so much fun for him to see her succeed,” he said. “She’s never been trained, so she’s been on the job training her whole career, and it’s been wonderful for me to see her develop into an actress… I love her work,” he said.
In his new memoir, Eric also issued a public apology to his sister for a comment he made to Vanity Fair in 2018, when he said: “If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.” He also alleged that before Julia’s success, he was the one who walked into the New York talent agency William Morris in 1985 and asked: “Who among you is going to sign my sister Julia?”
“I hope Julia accepts this public apology. It was a stupid thing to say,” he wrote in his memoir. The couple have had a rocky relationship since they split in 2005.
Eric, who has been married to his wife Eliza Roberts since 1992, went on to talk about how his years-long drug addiction ruined his relationship with his younger sisters, Julia, Raised in Manhattan actress Lisa Roberts Gillan and her half-sister Nancy Motes, who died in 2014.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they suffered from PTSD from the fact that I was dangerous to be around,” she wrote. “Lisa and Julia needed love and protection, but instead they received fear and uncertainty.”
If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24/7 from Frank by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or by visiting their website hereIn the US, the Substance abuse and you can contact the Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP.
