'I feared my childhood meant I'd be a bad dad'

Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb reveals how he became the parent he always hoped to be to his presenter-turned-farmer son George

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Larry Lamb may be best known as levelheaded Mick in Gavin & Stacey, dad to Essex lad Gavin and father figure to the irrepressible Smithy, but the actor's own path to happy parenthood wasn't always a given.

The actor, 77, had a turbulent childhood, raised by a verbally abusive dad. He has previously admitted that he “lived in fear”, growing up.

Today, he's a father of four children - Vanessa, 56, with first wife Anita Wisbey; presenter-turned-farmer George, 45, from second wife Linda Martin, and Eloise, 26, and Eva, 22, with former partner Clare Burt.

But sitting down alongside his son George, 45, Larry says he was fearful about his ability to raise children before he finally “broke the cycle”.

"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," says Larry.

BULLIED

Larry credits George's mum Linda, for his ability to become a great father to his three youngest children, “She broke the cycle because my poor old dad was bullied by his dad and was passing it on to me.

“She realised that was not going to allow George and me to flourish - and she stepped in. So big points to Linda. She made sure it didn't happen again.”

George says: “My mum did a lot of the heavy lifting when I was little. She was the disciplinarian. So that meant that me and my dad got to be friends.

“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.”

Larry and George clearly enjoy a close relationship and they both say they've both taken life lessons from one another. “I feel loved unconditionally by my dad and that's a really nice feeling,” says George.