Out There star Martin Clunes is one of the UK’s adored actors – but he didn’t have it easy growing up, previously speaking out about the strained bond he had with his father.
TV favourite Martin has been a staple on screens since the 1980s, best known for roles in Doc Martin and ITV’s Out There – which is on today (January 26). And it appears show business runs in the family, as his dad Alex was a successful actor.
However, growing up, things were tough for Martin…
Out There star Martin Clunes on father’s death aged eight
Born in Wimbledon, southwest London, Martin’s parents were Daphne and the actor Alec Clunes. Alec was an actor and appeared both on stage and screen between 1940 and 1963.
However, Martin was eight when his father, who he described as “the strong and silent type”, died from lung cancer, aged 57.
“The expectation was, ‘Oh, come on, let’s not cry. Let’s be grown-up.’ How grown-up can you be at eight?” Martin told The Times.
His father moved away suddenly
In his twenties, Martin then found out his dad actually left his family and moved hundreds of miles away, following his lung cancer diagnosis.
Martin shared: “He’d gone to live in a little shack in Mallorca when a Spanish doctor told him he had lung cancer and three months to live. When I found out, Mum said, ‘Oh, I thought you knew.’
“She didn’t know if it was a bad patch and they could have reconciled. But I don’t think she’d been very happy either.”
As for whether Martin was shocked, he said: “No. Like everything else in my life, I just bimbled into it.”
Meanwhile back in 2012, Martin spoke out about his father, calling him a “tortured soul”.
He told The Telegraph: “I keep finding things out about him as I get older. Yes, I think he probably was quite tortured. I think he gave a lot of people quite a hard time. He was a bit of a [expletive] actually. I don’t think he was very nice to my mum.”
Martin’s grandparents feared he’d ‘turn out gay’
After his dad’s death, Martin was sent to a boarding school in Surrey. This was due to his paternal grandparents fearing he would “become gay” if he grew up with his mum and older sister.
“Because that’s how it happens, apparently. So then I had not to cry and not wet the bed at boarding school, which was impossible,” he candidly added.
Watch Martin on Out There on Sunday (January 26) at 9:00pm on ITV1.
Read more: Martin Clunes’ TV return Out There savaged as viewers spot ‘problems’ and brand it ‘unwatchable’
So what do you think of Martin’s new ITV drama, Out There? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.
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He faced a tough time growing up
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