Sir Anthony Hopkins opens up about his deep regrets regarding his estranged relationship with his daughter Abigail in his new memoir, We Did OK, Kid, published on November 4, 2025. The 87-year-old actor reflects candidly on his struggles with family and alcoholism.
The two-time Oscar winner calls his estrangement from Abigail his “greatest regret.” Known for confronting difficult roles with honesty, Hopkins now turns that lens inward. He left his first wife, Petronella Barker, and their daughter Abigail when she was only 14 months old, due to his alcoholism spiraling out of control.
“Abigail never seemed able to forgive me for leaving the family when she was a baby.”
Hopkins describes himself as “a cold fish” who employed defense mechanisms learned in childhood. He expresses full remorse for the pain he caused, stating he has no right to blame Abigail.
“I will always be sorry for hurting her when I left the family, even as I believe to this day that I had no choice.”
The father and daughter briefly reconnected in the 1990s, and Abigail appeared in Hopkins’ films Shadowlands and The Remains of the Day. However, their relationship ultimately faded back into silence and distance over the years.
Hopkins' public acknowledgment of his past coldness and regrets marks a rare moment of vulnerability from the legendary actor.
In his memoir, Anthony Hopkins confronts painful truths about his broken family and alcoholism, publicly expressing remorse for the distance he caused with his daughter Abigail.