“GET busy living or get busy dying”, is what Pierce Brosnan told his wayward son Christoper as he succumbed to a terrifying drug and alcohol addiction.
His eldest’s life had spiralled, seeing him caught up in violent street brawls and even spending time behind bars, before the James Bond actor brutally cut him off in 2005 – but The Sun can now reveal how Christopher was brought back into the fold after 20 years in exile and why now was the right time.
Christopher, 52, was the biological son of Pierce’s first late wife, actress Cassandra Harris, and both he and his sister Charlotte were adopted by the Hollywood A-lister when their birth father died.
Hoping to take Christopher under his wing, Pierce even got him a job on two of his James Bond film sets as an assistant director, but the death of his mother and later his sister appeared to take its toll.
In the grip of addiction, Christopher had several run-ins with police and was jailed for drink driving, all before a near-fatal drug overdose in 2002.
After numerous interventions, however, Pierce, now 72, reached breaking point, and there seemed to be nothing that could reunite them.
But fast forward to today, and Pierce has not only been seen having lunch with his eldest at London celebrity hotspot Dorian, but sources tell The Sun that Pierce is also planning to see his once-estranged son over the festive period.
So what was the catalyst for the reunion? We can reveal that Pierce’s other son, Dylan, 28, has played a huge part in reuniting Pierce and Christopher.
It’s thought that after years of being clean, Dylan – who has remained close to him – pushed for them to start talking after so much time wasted.
The insider told us: “Dylan was instrumental in getting them back together and helping to mend the trust that’s been broken for so many years.
“Christopher is a nice guy, but he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and Pierce felt the only way to save his life was to cut him off and show him tough love.
“Thankfully, Pierce has welcomed him back into the fold, and they will be together for Christmas.”
But where did it all go wrong between the father and son?
Pierce portrayed Bond in four films, and he previously helped to land filmmaker Christopher a job as an assistant director on two of the movies, 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, and 1999 film The World Is Not Enough.
Christopher was also part of the production department for Pierce’s 007 debut, GoldenEye, which was released in 1995, but he failed to repay the faith shown in him by his dad.
An insider told The Sun: “Pierce has always felt he did the best as a father for Christopher.
Christopher would never help himself.
An Insider
“He helped him so much, including getting him jobs on the Bond sets.
“He’d always make sure Christopher got a job, and he tried to do the best he could as his mum died tragically from ovarian cancer.
“He had a bad drug habit and would always let Pierce down.”
‘Pierce could only take so much’
Pierce adopted Christopher and his late sister Charlotte – whose mother is Pierce’s late first wife, actress Cassandra Harris – in 1986 after their father Dermot passed away that year.
Following the death of Dermot, who was the brother of late Harry Potter star Richard Harris, further tragedy struck in 1991 when Pierce’s then-wife Cassandra died from ovarian cancer.
Her daughter Charlotte passed away from the same disease in 2013, aged just 41, and Christopher is said to have struggled following the double family tragedy.
The insider added: “Sadly, Christopher felt he could never get to grips with losing his mum and then losing his sister to the same disease.
“Pierce would pay for everything, including helping with Christopher’s rehabs, but Christopher didn’t help himself.
“Pierce could only take so much, and he went down the tough love route and cut him off.”
Amid his drug and drink issues, Christopher had several run-ins with the cops and was jailed for three months for drink driving in 1997.
It came a year after he was handed a £1,000 fine for the same offence, and in 2002, Christopher nearly died after suffering a drug overdose.
He was previously arrested at London nightclub Chinawhite on suspicion of stealing mobile phones, but the charges were later dropped, and he was banned from another London nightspot, Browns, following a mass brawl.
In 2005, Christopher was arrested again in Brixton, south-west London, for possession of heroin.
Despite his arrests, Christopher went on to land a surprise spot on the second-ever series of Love Island in 2006.
He coupled up with model and socialite Lady Victoria Hervey on the ITV series, until she was evicted in week two.
Afterwards, Christopher moved on with model Sophie Anderton, but Victoria returned to the Island for a day to confront Sophie, and chucked wine over her love rival for stealing Christopher on the show.
He went on to be evicted on the final day, but he and Sophie went their separate ways.
While Christopher was having fun in the Fijian sun, his actor father, Pierce, had already cut ties with his son.
And the Thursday Murder Club star made no secret of the fact.
He has tested everybody in this family, but none more so than himself.
Pierce Brosnan
Speaking to Playboy magazine in 2005, Pierce said: “Christopher is still very lost. Shockingly so.
“I know where he is, but he’s having a hard life.
“I can only have strong faith and believe he will recover.
“He knows how to get out. He doesn’t want to. It’s painful because you shut down.
“You never completely cut them off, but I have cut Christopher off. I had to say: ‘Go. Get busy living, or get busy dying.’ He has my prayers.”
Pierce stood by his word and didn’t “completely” axe his son from his life, when in 2022, there were signs of a potential reconciliation.
Dad-of-five Pierce mentioned Christopher in a touching Instagram post on Father’s Day.
He wrote at the time: “My love forever to you dear sons, Paris, Dylan, Sean and Christopher, thank you deeply for your love [heart emoji] on this Father’s Day.”
Christopher was namechecked in the post alongside Pierce’s son Sean, 42 – his biological boy with Cassandra – and his two sons, Paris, 24, and Dylan, 28, who he has with current wife Keely Shaye Smith, who he married in 2001.
The three Brosnan boys appeared in the accompanying picture alongside the Mamma Mia! actor, but Christopher was noticeably absent.
Three years on, with the help of Dylan, things are finally looking up – and as they left dinner last week, Pierce couldn’t hide his joy. It seems time really is a healer.
