Larry Lamb candidly opened up about being ‘bullied’ by his ‘abusive’ father during his childhood.
The Gavin & Stacey actor, 77, admitted he ‘grew up in fear’ during his childhood and has previously discussed being verbally abused by his father.
Speaking to OK! Magazine, Larry shared his fears that he was going to struggle as a parent himself because he hadn’t had a good role model in his father.
‘If you are not fathered well, you’re not going to be a good father yourself. You’re just not. So, of course that was a worry,’ he said.
However, he told how he was finally able to ‘break the cycle’ raising his son George, now 45, and praised his ex-wife Linda Martin for helping him do so.
‘She realised that was not going to allow George and me to flourish – and she stepped in. So, big points to Linda, she broke the cycle and made sure it didn’t happen again,’ he admitted.
Larry Lamb candidly opened up about being ‘bullied’ by his ‘abusive’ father during his childhood and said he ‘grew up in fear’
Larry shared his fears that he was going to struggle as a parent himself because he hadn’t had a good role model in his father (pictured with his son George, 45, in February 2014)
Joining Larry for the interview, George told how his mother Linda had been the ‘disciplinarian’ whereas he was always ‘good friends’ with his father Larry.
‘While that was tough on Mum, the good news is, me and Dad got to be mates, despite it all – and that was quite beautiful,’ George shared.
Larry defined his relationship with his son ‘grounding and very safe’ while George admitted to feel ‘loved unconditionally’ by his father.
But George told how Larry has become softer with age as he discussed the parenting difference between him and his younger sisters – Eloise, 26, and Eva, 23.
Larry welcomed George during his marriage to Linda but the couple went their separate ways in 1996 after seven years of marriage.
The actor then went on to marry his second wife Clare Burt – who he shares his daughters with – in 2009 after 12 years together, but they split in 2016.
Larry has had a long and successful TV career but recently revealed Gavin & Stacey is likely to be his last ever TV job as he steps back from acting.
He admitted he was thrilled to finish off his acting career playing Mick Shipman for the last time in the sitcom’s Christmas special, dubbed The Finale.
However, he told how he was finally able to ‘break the cycle’ raising his son George and praised his ex-wife Linda Martin for helping him do so (Larry pictured with George in 1981)
He’s now focusing on a new novel he’s written about the entertainment industry but says he’ll consider taking on small stage parts ‘to keep my face in’, insisting he’s happy to let others perform the ‘bigger roles’.
Speaking to MailOnline, he said: ‘You get so involved with these characters that they become your favourite at that time, they are the focus of your life, but to finish up in my 70s playing a character like Mick who is beloved by millions of people, you have to give the writers credit… at this stage in my career Mick is the closest to my heart.’
Larry’s work has spanned six decades, but it was only in his 50s he became one of the most recognisable faces on British TV courtesy of his two career-defining roles.
He continued: ‘I have had a very fortunate career; I’ve done so much that I am really proud of that maybe not so many people know.
‘I have worked at the Royal Shakespeare company, the National Theatre, I have been in 12 West End shows, I have done all the principal fringe theatres in London, on Broadway, I have been very lucky and now I am quite happy to let someone else play the big roles.’
Larry said finding fame playing Mick and Archie Mitchell in EastEnders is a reward for his years of hard graft, many of which took place on stage and the small screen.
‘For years, people didn’t realise just how much time I spent working in the theatre, people assumed it was always on the TV, but it wasn’t,’ he shared.
‘My year would be half of it spent doing television and half of it would be doing plays in the theatre.
‘If you have been through a life in entertainment and people don’t all know you to suddenly where pretty much everybody knows you as a character…
‘I find it’s a reward, it’s better to be known than unknown as far as I’m concerned. Particularly if you are known as a character that people really love… what a way to finish your working life.’
