Colin Farrell gives heartbreaking reason for putting son living with Angelman syndrome in ‘long-term care'

Yahoo

18-04-2025

Actor Colin Farrell has revealed the heartbreaking reason behind why he intends to put his disabled son into a long-term care facility.
The Dublin-born star, 48, has opened up about the 'tricky' conversations he has had in regards to his son James' future and how best to give him the 'happy life' he deserves.
He shares the 21-year-old lad with former partner and model Kim Bordenave, while he also has 15-year-old Henry with ex-girlfriend and Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.
Farrell has previously spoken out about the impact his eldest child has had on his life, revealing James' birth inspired him to get sober and gave him a 'desire to live'.
Back in 2007, the dad revealed that James has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which affects a person's nervous system, causing severe physical and learning disabilities.
The NHS explains that those who have this condition have a 'near-normal life expectancy, but they will need support throughout their life'.
Farrell launched the Colin Farrell Foundation last year in James' 'honour', which supports adult children with intellectual disabilities, while saying of his son: "I'm proud of him every day, because I just think he's magic."
The Batman actor has now revealed that he and Bordenave have chosen to find a long-term care facility for James - who is non-verbal - to live in, where he can receive round-the-clock care.
Speaking to Candis Magazine, he revealed how they have both come to this decision.
Farrell said: "It's tricky, some parents will say: 'I want to take care of my child myself'. And I respect that.
"But my horror would be... what if I have a heart attack tomorrow, and, God forbid, James' mother, Kim, has a car crash and she's taken too - and then James is on his own?
"Then he's a ward of the state and he goes where? We'd have no say in it."
The Banshees of Inisherin star said he and Bordenave hope to 'find somewhere we like where [James] can go now, while we're still alive and healthy, that we can go and visit, and we can take him out sometimes'.
"We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected," Farrell added.
The father-of-two previously touched on how he intended to handle James' long-term care in an interview last year.
"[James] knows when somebody wants to be with him and when somebody's just supposed to be with him," Farrell told the Daily Mail.
"So if he has a carer or a teacher or a therapist and they're not fully engaged he'll just switch off."
Responding to concerns raised about the adjustment James will face living away from his parents, Farrell added: "I know my son... he's ready to get out of the house and go and have a bigger life than we can afford him, by having a sense of community he feels connected to."