When Colin Farrell's son, James, took his first step six weeks ago, "there wasn't a dry eye in the house," the actor told the Irish Independent newspaper. Farrell has recently revealed that his son suffers from a neurogenetic disorder. The four year old has a rare form of cerebral palsy called Angelman Syndrome, which can affect his motor skills and speech.
But the handsome Irish actor said his son by ex-girlfriend, model Kim Bordenave, shows "amazing courage", despite his special needs.
"The only time I'm reminded that there is something different about him - that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal - is when I see him with other four-year-olds.
"Then I go, 'Oh yeah,' and it comes back to me," Farrell told the Irish Independent. "But from day one I felt that he's the way he's meant to be."
The 31-year-old added: "I'm incredibly blessed to have him in my life."
He added: "He took his first steps about six weeks ago, and it was four years in the making. It was incredibly emotional. There wasn't a dry eye in the house."
Coincidentally, Farrell helped promote the Special Olympics before his son's diagnosis. "I experienced the overwhelming effect of being around those athletes pretty much just before my son was born," says Farrell. "It's mad the way the world works."
